EASTHAMPTON — A late-night fire has forced a city restaurant, Tavern on the Hill, to close until further notice.
The fire began late Friday, Aug. 12 after all the eatery’s employees had gone home and was reported to the Fire Department by a passerby coming home from work.
Had the person not spotted the flames, the outcome for the tavern could have been catastrophic, said Amy Guyette, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Larry Guyette.
“We’re really grateful for that young man and the fire crews from Easthampton, Holyoke and Northampton for doing such a great job containing the fire,” she said.
A joint investigation between Easthampton Fire Department and State Police fire investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office has determined that the fire was caused accidentally, according to Jake Wark, spokesman for the state Fire Marshal’s office.
“The fire originated on a rear deck, close to a meat smoker, and was caused by embers falling from the smoker’s chimney onto the dry wood of the deck,” said Wark. “Wooden structures like these are always vulnerable to fire to some degree, but the critical drought across the area has left them even more susceptible. We’d like to remind everyone to use caution with any open flame or heat source outdoors, whether they’re cooking, camping, smoking, or using power equipment like lawnmowers or ATVs.”
Although the fire was contained to a small section of the building with the majority of the damage sustained to the deck, Guyette said she was hopeful the inside of the Tavern on the Hill could open relatively soon. But as she and her husband continue to assess the damage, she said that it doesn’t seem likely.
“It will probably be, my conservative estimate is that it will be at least three months before we can reopen,” she said.
Known for its smoked barbecue and expansive views nestled along the hillside of Mountain Road, the Tavern on the Hill has been open since 2005.
Amy Guyette runs the front of the house and does the bookkeeping for the business and Larry Guyette runs the kitchen.
In letting the community know about their forced closure on Facebook, Amy Guyette said she has been touched by the outpouring of support from the community as hundreds of comments appeared under their post.
“There have been so many messages, people offering us help and telling us they can’t wait until we reopen – it’s heartwarming,” she said. “When you work in a restaurant setting every day, you play a special part in people’s lives – first communions, rehearsal dinners, you name it.”
Adding insult to injury, Amy Guyette said she has felt guilty having to cancel reservations for so many events, including an upcoming wedding rehearsal dinner.
Fortunately, during the pandemic, the Guyettes were able to implement an online reservation system.
For those who may not have received a notification yet, she noted that the business’ phone has been down since electricity has been shut off since last week.
“We keep telling everyone to hang on, because we will be back,” she said.
Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.
