Rotting utility pole falls on, sparks fire at Chestnut Market

A rotting utility pole fell onto the Chestnut Market at the Mobil gas station on Brookside Avenue in the Village of Chester early Tuesday morning, sparking the fire that did major damage to the convenience store, according to fire and police officials.

“A pole with transformers on it fell onto the building around 1:35 a.m. or so,” said Chester Fire Chief Tom Marchiano. “It is my understanding the pole was rotting and that is what caused it to fall. The fire on the outside of the building traveled to the inside of the building but it was mainly in the ceiling above the store. The main area of damage to the structure is on the Route 17 on-ramp side of the structure.”

The gas tanks were unaffected, and nobody was hurt. The business is closed.

Police getting coffee in the Chester Market when pole fell

As it happens, two Town of Chester police officers were in the Chester Market getting coffee when the pole fell.

“The officers were inside, getting coffee and talking to the gentleman who was working and heard the boom,” Marchiano said. “They walked outside and saw the building on fire. There was not a 911 call. It came directly from the police.”

Marchiano said fire departments from Goshen, Washingtonville, Warwick and Salisbury Mills also responded to the scene.

Crews from Orange & Rockland Utilities were on site Tuesday as neighboring businesses were without power.

Vito Signorile, a spokesperson with the utility, confirmed Orange and Rockland owned the pole and that electricity was restored to the area Tuesday.