Sunday, July 19, 2009
Arson suspected in blaze at Hasidic hotel
Officials suspect arson in an early-morning fire Saturday that burned to the ground an abandoned three-story building near the former Homowack Lodge.
Summitville fire Chief Tim Koestler said the fire is suspicious and is being investigated. All utilities, including electricity, had been shut off in the building, Koestler said.
The building was located off the now-dilapidated golf course, down the road from the sprawling former resort, Koestler said.
Authorities say the building, formerly used as housing for employees at the hotel, had been abandoned for a number of years. The building is owned by Congregation Bais Trana, a Hasidic group from Rockland County that bought the former Catskill resort and 400 acres of land in 2006.
Nobody was injured in the fire, which began shortly after 5 a.m. and took nearly three hours to contain. The fire was called in by a neighbor, and the building was engulfed in flames when emergency responders arrived. There was also a false fire alarm at the main hotel building later in the day.
The fire comes after a long string of complaints by neighbors and public officials about safety concerns at the former Homowack Lodge, now called Machne Bnos Square.
Early last week, the hotel was cited with three violations by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation after an oil spill.
Later in the week, the state Department of Health asked for a voluntary evacuation of the building "in the interest of public safety."
Town officials say the group was running a girls camp at the site, despite not having the appropriate permits.
Holly Budd, who has lived in the neighborhood for 23 years, said neighbors are becoming increasingly concerned that the former hotel is becoming a safety hazard.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090719/NEWS/907190332/-1/SITEMAP
Summitville fire Chief Tim Koestler said the fire is suspicious and is being investigated. All utilities, including electricity, had been shut off in the building, Koestler said.
The building was located off the now-dilapidated golf course, down the road from the sprawling former resort, Koestler said.
Authorities say the building, formerly used as housing for employees at the hotel, had been abandoned for a number of years. The building is owned by Congregation Bais Trana, a Hasidic group from Rockland County that bought the former Catskill resort and 400 acres of land in 2006.
Nobody was injured in the fire, which began shortly after 5 a.m. and took nearly three hours to contain. The fire was called in by a neighbor, and the building was engulfed in flames when emergency responders arrived. There was also a false fire alarm at the main hotel building later in the day.
The fire comes after a long string of complaints by neighbors and public officials about safety concerns at the former Homowack Lodge, now called Machne Bnos Square.
Early last week, the hotel was cited with three violations by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation after an oil spill.
Later in the week, the state Department of Health asked for a voluntary evacuation of the building "in the interest of public safety."
Town officials say the group was running a girls camp at the site, despite not having the appropriate permits.
Holly Budd, who has lived in the neighborhood for 23 years, said neighbors are becoming increasingly concerned that the former hotel is becoming a safety hazard.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090719/NEWS/907190332/-1/SITEMAP
Comments:
ARSON?? NOOO I AM NOT MEKABEL, NO FRUM JEW WOULD EVER STOOP THAT LOW
*rolling eyes.....*
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*rolling eyes.....*
Comment Credit ---This article posted by 
: July 19, 2009 4:55 PM
: July 19, 2009 4:55 PM
