On Dec. 28, a fire in the former Roe Jan Hardware building on County Route 7 in Gallatin left the structure destroyed and no one injured. The Pine Plains Fire Company and the Milan Volunteer Fire Department answered the call at 7:56 pm. Pine Plains firefighters returned to extinguish a small flare up on the following morning.
The fire was caused by a heat lamp inside of the building. According to Jake Exline, Gallatin building inspector, the damage was “extensive.”
“They are probably going to have to demolish what is there. They have a legal right to rebuild this exact footprint for a year after the demolition, I don’t know what their intentions are,” Exline said.
The owner of the building is Serena Passeri. Her son Doug Passeri uses the building for the storage and rental of hardware for his business Hudson Valley Wind and Solar.