ALBANY — The former Howard Johnson hotel on Route 9W was destroyed by fire on Thursday, July 6.
The call came in around 2 p.m., and the fire already had a head start. Smoke could be seen for miles, even two hours later and there were gaping holes in the roof where the fire had burned through.
Fire Chief Warren Abriel said at around 4:15 p.m. firefighters had not yet entered the building for safety reasons and there were no immediate plans to do so. He said it was under control at that time, though, and was preparing to send some fire companies home.
Route 9W was closed in both directions snarling traffic in and out of Bethlehem.
The cause of the blaze had not yet been determined.
More information as it becomes available.
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