Above: WNYT's report on the fire at the Red Barn Restaurant in Summit on Monday.
Today's forecast for the Catskills region is looking pretty soggy -- but earlier this week, dry weather and high winds were a recipe for increased risk of fires.
Several fires destroyed buildings in the area earlier this week.
In a cruel twist of fate, Summit's only restaurant, the Red Barn, was destroyed by fire Monday. The Times-Journal reports:
Josh Gaida, first assistant chief of the Summit Fire Department, said the kitchen in the rear of the building was in flames when firefighters arrived at 9:15.
"The wind was an issue," he added. "It was blowing one way, and then it turned around and blew the fire back into the building."
The loss of the Red Barn leaves a huge hole in the community, YNN reports:
The restaurant was closed Monday, so thankfully no one was hurt - physically, that is. Emotionally is another story, for patrons and especially for the two owners of six years.
"Many people in the county come here, many people in the town come here. They say this is their second home," said Summit resident Kathy Bulka. "It really is that family atmosphere so people are feeling that hurt."
The restaurant had survived the Irene floods unscathed and held several fundraisers for local victims. WNYT reports they plan to rebuild.
The Daily Mail reports that a fire gutted a home in Athens on Tuesday morning:
The five people living at the South Franklin Street home escaped the fire unharmed.
One of those residents was smoking on the side porch and that somehow led to the fire, which destroyed everything inside the house, [Greene County Fire Investigation Team chief Gerry] Buckley said.
“The wind was a factor” in the blaze, he said.
On Monday, a Franklin home on Rich Road burned down, and took out a nearby car and ATV as well, the Daily Star reports:
With the wind and the dryness, extra crews were called in to make sure the fire didn't spread, [Franklin fire chief Tom] Worden said. There were about 50 to 60 firefighters at the scene. The couple were insured but they lost everything.
And on Tuesday, a fire damaged three apartments at the Highland Hotel in Highland, causing a portion of 9W to be shut down, the Daily Freeman reports.
It could have been worse: The Highland Hotel is across the street from the fire department.
Highland Assistant Fire Chief Peter Miller said firefighters were called to the blaze at 2:03 p.m. He said the Highland Hotel, located at 1 White St., is across U.S. Route 9W from the department’s station 1. Firefighters were able to respond in under a minute, Miller said.
Update, 10:30am: In a truly staggering oversight, an earlier draft of this post omitted the fire at the Red Barn. It's fixed now. Thanks to reader Velga Kundzins for alerting us.
