As cleanup process develops, officials warn pedestrians to stay out of Boonville fire rubble

BOONVILLE- Now that the fire is out and a cherished part of Main Street has been turned to rubble, the next step points towards cleanup and the hope of reconstruction, someday.

“It’s a process between us and the village,” Boonville Fire Chief Dave Pritchard Jr. said. “Believe me, I want this cleaned up as soon as possible, but there is a process that we and the village must follow. Mayor McIntyre and the village trustees have been so good to us.”

Village officials met with the fire department Thursday to specifically discuss the cleanup process. According to Chief Pritchard Jr., the village will need to obtain permission from each landowner for cleanup. In addition, they will also have to wait for insurance companies to inspect each and every site, a course that will take some time.

“So, for now, we have a stretch of scorched rubble from the fire. We are asking all pedestrians to stay out of there. The last thing we want is for someone to go rummaging around for souvenirs, or to have someone fall into the rubble and get injured,” Pritchard Jr. emphasized.

New York State Fire Investigators are continuing their work on determining an official cause of the blaze, which ripped through five buildings late Tuesday and through early Wednesday morning.

“We definitely want to thank the fire departments and all other emergency responders who answered the call for help,” Mayor McIntyre said. “It was truly incredible to see everyone pull together from such a devastating night. We are forever in debt to our volunteer men and women who put their lives on the line for the safety of our communities.”