SILVER LAKE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Head up to Silver Lake Township about 20 minutes north of Montrose and everybody knows the popular Brackney Inn. Many were looking forward to the place reopening at the end of the month after flames wrecked the place in October. Now, its future could be in doubt after a second fire destroyed the place.
Flames leveled the Brackney Inn again around 4 p.m. Saturday. It was set to reopen June 30.
Newswatch 16 spoke with Brackney Inn owner Greg MacBlane in January during the rebuild of the popular watering hole following a massive fire in October.
"I'm excited for myself and my employees, too. They all want to get back to work," MacBlane said at the time.
Eight months after the building was initially destroyed, the future of the local staple that's been around since the 1800s is once again in question.
"It started in the back corner, the far back corner. It started there, and when the first units got here, there were flames going up the side of the building in the back. It spread through to the roof and came back over from the back to the front at that time," explained Chief Joe Tims, Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Company.
One firefighter with the Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Company grew up in Silver Lake Township. He actually had to come fight the flames on Saturday afternoon, which was very emotional for him.
"When I heard this, I literally started crying because this place meant so much to me. Even though I didn't own it or work on it, but you know what, this place meant so much to me. That's why I had to be here," said firefighter Sam Henry. "My 21st birthday, I came here to have my first beer here. I always came here. That's how I met new people. I met a lot of friends here."
MacBlane's insurance agent arrived at the scene to check out the damage himself.
"I can't imagine, personally, going through this once in your lifetime, let alone twice. I can't imagine what his feelings are. He's probably crushed," said Jeff Tyler, insurance agent.
The Brackney Inn was supposed to hold a reopening on Saturday, June 30, with free drinks and food for the fire departments that responded to the first incident in October.
Investigators are still trying to determine what caused this most recent fire.