Blaze destroys Falltown Grill in Bernardston three weeks after opening

By BELLA LEVAVI

Staff Writer

Published: 06-29-2022 6:06 PM

BERNARDSTON — After just three weeks in business, the Falltown Grill caught fire early Wednesday morning.

“We know it started high in the ceiling area,” Fire Chief Peter Shedd said of the fire’s origins.

Shedd explained employees had left the South Street restaurant at 9:30 p.m. the night before. They were doing prep work and the restaurant was not open that night. At around 1:52 a.m., someone driving past contacted emergency dispatchers after they noticed smoke.

“Gas must have been burning in the ceiling for a while before it got noticed,” he said.

The third-alarm fire was under control by 4 a.m. In addition to firefighters from Bernardston, departments from Vernon, Brattleboro and Guilford, Vermont; Hinsdale and Winchester, New Hampshire; and Northfield, Greenfield, Gill, South Deerfield, Deerfield, Montague Center, Colrain and Turners Falls came to assist, Shedd said.

The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services also came to investigate. It was ruled an accident as of Wednesday morning.

Two ladder trucks and a fire hydrant were used.

“We were lucky the hydrant had a more-than-adequate flow of water,” Shedd said.

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The restaurant’s owners, Alex and Amy Fiorey, who declined to be interviewed at the scene, have insurance on the property, according to Shedd.

“The whole roof needs to be replaced,” Shedd said. “They lost all the new kitchen equipment.”

Firefighter Jeff Guy said, “I feel so bad for them. They put so much into the place. It is absolutely heartbreaking.”

A GoFundMe page has been started by Alex Fiorey’s sister, Carolyn Fiorey-Kolstad, to help her family cover the immediate cost of the fire.

“I saw a lot of people on community pages posting about what happened,” Fiorey-Kolstad said. “People were looking for ways to reach out and help.”

To donate, visit gofund.me/4507c766. More than $4,200 had been raised as of Wednesday evening. People can also drop off money across the street at Pioneer Valley Tire, also owned by the Fioreys.

“They put blood, sweat, tears and all their money into this restaurant,” Fiorey-Kolstad said, “and they are going to need to recover.”

Additionally, Bernardston resident and disc jockey Robert “Bobby C” Campbell, who often organizes fundraisers for local causes, plans to run a drive-thru donation collection to benefit the Falltown Grill’s employees on Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. in the parking lot at the United Church of Bernardston.

Campbell said he came up with the idea because he figured the Fioreys’ insurance won’t cover the lost wages of those now out of work, including his daughter-in-law.

“I was just thinking out of the box,” he said. “I’m hoping I can raise a really good amount of money.”

Before Falltown Grill opened earlier this month, the Four Leaf Clover Restaurant operated in the space for 71 years. According to Louella “Lou” Atherton of the Bernardston Historical Society, the restaurant was first established in May of 1949 by Stanley Durmas.

The restaurant was once owned by Paul Skiathitis. Shedd, who spoke to Skiathitis on scene, said the former owner relayed that seeing the business burn was like losing an old friend.

While the firefighters were in action putting out the fire, Lucy Damkoehler, owner of Sweet Lucy’s Bakeshop, brought the workers leftover cookies and coffee.

“That was quite an all-nighter for them, so I just wanted to help,” Damkoehler said. “I grew up in this town so it means a lot to me to keep the town happy and safe.”

Additionally, residents donated coffee and baked goods for the firefighters throughout the morning.

Contact Bella Levavi at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579. Domenic Poli contributed reporting.

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