Sunday, April 15, 2012

Second Suspicious Fire In Week Takes Down Grandview Palace

News travels fast in small communities, and yesterday it was not long before everyone in the area knew the second suspicious fire in a week had the Grandview Palace engulfed in flames.  Last week it was the Tamarac and about 30 buildings (most of them derelict) that went up in smoke, the fire supposedly started by someone out burning brush...in my opinion, that explanation seems suspect.  Yesterday, early reports were saying that the boiler for the Grandview Palace was on fire.  Meanwhile, if the State Fire Marshall's K-9 units, police presence and lots of folks wearing jackets that said INVESTIGATOR or DETECTIVE on them is any clue, seems that I would not be the only citizen of the area thinking ARSON.

The fire, which is believed to be the biggest ever seen in Sullivan County,  took 40 fire departments from Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties to bring under control as firefighters battled the blaze through the night and into this morning.  In what can only be described as a miracle, none of the full time year around residents were injured or killed in the fire, though several firefighters did suffer minor injuries.

One thing is certain, the Grandview Palace is done, from this day forward nothing more than a small footnote in the counties history.  The residents have been told they will NEVER move back to their condominiums, and today uniformed officers were posting "Condemnation" flyers anywhere and everywhere at the property. You can get an idea of what the place used to be like by visiting their website.

The facility had  75-100 year around residents, with the population of the facility heading up closer to four hundred during the summer season.  The place had gone into decline before this fire, with the town of Fallsburg  trying to work with the owners to address a myriad number of serious code violations...that issue in a very sad and tragic way for the residents who have lost everything is now academic.  The fire is out, though acrid smoke drifting up from the rubble shows there are still hot spots as the embers slowly die down.

Some of the PRE-FIRE Real Estate Listings

Studio, 300 sqft, $7,000

1500 State Route 52e E Liberty 12754 NY
A completely updated studio condominium w/ new windows, w/w carpet, bathroom, microwave oven, refrigerator, central air and more. it's located at the grandview palace resort...
300 sq. ft - 1 bathroom
1 week, 3 days ago in HotPads.com
Photo Studio, 300 sqft, $7,000

1 bed, 630 sqft, $47,200

1500 State Route 52 E Unit I Liberty 12754 NY
Mountains is the place to unwind and get rejuvenated. located at the grandview palace resort in the catskills and within a short distance to all forms of entertainment sources...
630 sq. ft - $75/sq. ft - 1 bedroom - 1 bathroom
2 weeks, 6 days ago in HotPads.com - Also found in ResortScape
Photo 1 bed, 630 sqft, $47,200
Homes like "grandview palace liberty": grandview palace catskills