Grand Island, NY - Over this weekend fire destroyed something that's being used a lot this time of year... a well known boathouse sitting on top of the Niagara River in Grand Island.
A burned out foundation is all that's left of the boathouse that sat at the end of the pier on East River Road for many years. Firefighters from the Grand Island Fire Company say when they responded to the scene the boathouse was completely engulfed in flames.
Still pictures taken by those on the scene show just how intense the fire was. Officials tells 2 On Your Side the fire was fed by gasoline from the boat that was kept inside. Another boat that was tied up outside was also destroyed.
Grand Island Fire Company spokesperson Ray Paulie tells 2 On Your Side a cause may have been determined.
"It appears to be an electrical short circuit which ignited a fuel line in the one Starcraft boat that was inside the boathouse," said Paulie.
We even caught up with Gary Dahlstrom, the owner of the boathouse.
"This boathouse is a landmark of the river. Everybody talks about the big yellow boathouse, and you know it's down," said Dahlstrom.
Dahlstrom also provided us with a of what the boathouse looked like before the fire. He plans to rebuild but doesn't know just yet.
The fire caused about $50,000 worth of damage, but luckily there were no injuries reported.