by Bea Peterson
According to Robert Farrara of Farrara’s Pub and Grill at 42 Classic Street, the fire that damaged the building on Friday night, January 3, started in the basement in an electrical wall socket that smoldered for some time before bursting into flame. Staff and customers were in the building at the time. No one was injured. Staff flagged a Hoosick Falls Police Dept. patrol car that called in the alarm about 11:20 pm.
[private]Fire Chief Carlton Coon said it was a very, very stubborn fire. As far as he knows the fire is still under investigation. Most of the fire was extinguished by four in the morning, but firefighters spent the next three hours finding and eliminating hot spots. The building is old, and, Coon said, lowered ceilings and raised floors on two to three stories created empty spaces that had to be investigated. “The cold weather was an issue, and the freezing water made everything slippery,” he said.
Big Response
Firefighters and equipment on the scene supporting the Hoosick Falls Fire Department were from Bennington, VT, Buskirk, Cambridge, Greenwich, Hoosick, North Hoosick, West Hoosick, Petersburgh and Pittstown. Many had spent the entire day battling the blaze that totaled the LaFlamme Furniture Store in Bennington. Also in support were the Hoosick Falls Police Department and the Hoosick and Cambridge Rescue Squads.
Damage Extensive
Farrara said Monday he was dealing with the insurance company and, “It’s too early to tell, but the numbers are staggering, and there’s not enough insurance to cover it. It doesn’t look good as the cost to replace everything is more than the building is worth. There’s tremendous water damage. The dollars and cents just may not be there.”
“My heart goes out to my employees; I feel terrible for them and the Village,” he said. He added that it has only been the last six to eight months that the business had become profitable.
Farrara said he is grateful to the Fire Departments for all they did, and he really appreciates all the community support he has received.
“Right now it’s all overwhelming,” he said. “If I rebuild, a lot of the money will have to come out of my own pocket, and I don’t know if I’ve got the energy to do it. I don’t know if I have it in me, but we’ll see – I’m a fighter.”
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