Walnut Street was blocked off between First Street and Second Street for about a half hour Wednesday night as Hudson Fire crews quickly extinguished a small fire on the roof of Pier Five Hundred.
It was business as usual inside the restaurant as the fire slowly burned through a layer of insulation between a metal outer roof and sub-roof underneath. There was no fire or smoke inside.
"We're replacing all our heating and air conditioning so we're prepping the roof for all the new penetrations for all the new duct work that's going into the restaurant," said Pier Five Hundred Owner Andy Kron. "Earlier today the guys were grinding some metal on the roof and saw a small flame shoot down and start the insulation on fire."
Kron said the workers caught it right away when it happened at 4 p.m. and thought they had cut away all the insulation that was exposed to the fire. Two-and-a-half hours later Kron peeled back some more of the metal outer roof and noticed a lot of glowing embers. He said he called the fire department at 6:28 p.m.
"We got lucky," said Hudson Fire Chief Jim Frye. "Somebody noticed it pretty quick or it could have been a pretty catastrophic midnight run."
Frye reported no injuries and minor damage to the structure.
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