Watertown Daily News
WELLESLEY ISLAND, N.Y. — A large fire and explosion destroyed a prominent building on the island late Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
The blaze destroyed the Guzzle building, near the intersection of St. Lawrence Avenue and Rainbow Street East, which housed multiple businesses along with the T.I. Park Fire Station for the Wellesley Island Fire Department, according to a witness at the scene.
The Jefferson County dispatch said the initial fire and explosion call came in at about 11:48 p.m. Wednesday.
Calls to multiple fire departments along the river at the time of the fire were unsuccessful early Thursday morning.
Joseph Palmer, a visitor from Fairfield, Conn., who is staying about 100 yards from the site of the fire, said the fire appeared to start on the upper level of the building, causing the second floor of the structure to come down within 20 minutes.
He said he also heard loud booming noises from the bay areas of the building.
Falling debris nearly struck a fire truck fighting the flames, he said.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Mr. Palmer said. “It was pretty devastating.”
Mr. Palmer said the damage was so extensive there was essentially “nothing left” of the building following the fire.
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