Bentley’s Closed For Clean-Up

Fire trucks outside Bentley’s Restaurant in Woodstock. Photo credit: Nicole Bartner

The Woodstock and South Woodstock Fire Departments made sure a fire did not spread from Bentley’s kitchen to the surrounding Central Village building block this evening.

An entire block burning down in the Village is a nightmare that keeps Fire Chief L.D. Sutherland, Jr.  up at night.  He was, not surprisingly, first on the scene.

Fire Chief L.D. Sutherland, Jr. assesses the scene upon arrival at Bentley’s Restaurant. Photo credit: Nicole Bartner

Sutherland confirms that in this case a foam fire suppression system in the kitchen either deployed or was deployed to put out the flames. However, the building is so old that the fire might have gotten into the walls and moved through the rabbit warren of halls, apartments and offices.

What’s left this evening is a restaurant emptied of its clientele (the fire happened between 6pm and 6:30pm) and a pile of black, wet rubble that was the wall between the main dining room and the kitchen. It is clear to see the blackened support beams on that common wall. Those sipping drinks were asked to leave the building soon after the whooshing sound of the fire suppression system engaged. Some were seen guzzling their beer before departure.

Sutherland says a new automatic sprinkler system for Bentley’s restaurant is due to be installed next week but emphasizes that even so, even if it had been activated.  the rest of the building does not have such a system.  The installation of the pipes for the system is partially the cause for the big bump in the road going down Elm Street in front of Bentley’s.