A fire completely burned down the north end of the Grove Hotel in Cherry Grove, Fire Island early Tuesday morning, according to several reports coming in from around the web.
EDGE reports: "The blaze broke out inside a housekeeping shed along
the north side of the two story Grove Hotel around 2 a.m. Firefighters
from Cherry Grove, the Fire Island Pines, Point O' Woods, Ocean Bay
Park, Ocean Beach, Saltaire and Sayville responded to the scene. The
four people inside the hotel evacuated safely, but Ocean Beach
firefighter Ian Levine said the thick smoke made it difficult to find
the fire's source."
According to EDGE, "a second fire broke out in a trash can on Gerard Walk shortly before the blaze erupted at the Grove Hotel," however, "nothing indicates the two fires are related."
The hotel was scheduled to close for the season in a week.
Cherry Grove is one of two gay communities on the long barrier island of Fire Island. The other is Fire Island Pines, where a fire earlier this season burned two homes to the ground.
(photos jim kelly)
(via joe.my.god)
