Arson Fire Damages Abandoned West Endicott Motel

Three fire departments were sent to a vacant town of Union motel to extinguish a blaze that apparently had been set.

The fire at the abandoned Red Carpet Inn on West Main Street was reported around 5:15 p.m.

A West Endicott fire department official said a unit from the Endicott fire department was first on the scene. West Corners firefighters also assisted in the efforts to knock down the blaze.

Investigators believe someone who was staying inside the old motel set a mattress on fire. Damage from the blaze was confined to the contents of a first-floor room where the fire originated.

Authorities at the scene said no injuries were reported.

The property, which opened at the Royal Coachman Motel in 1963, was taken by Broome County for nonpayment of taxes.

Fire officials and neighbors say squatters have been getting into the building despite efforts to secure the structure. The abandoned motel is across the street from En Joie Golf Club and just west of the Charles F. Johnson Elementary School.

County records show the property now is owned by OM Shirdi Sai LLC of New Jersey.

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com

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