Flames consume the North Java Inn

NORTH JAVA, N.Y. (WIVB) - An inferno tore through a Wyoming County gathering spot. More than a dozen fire departments battled an intense three-alarm fire that destroyed the North Java Inn Monday morning.

For this rural community, it's a terrible loss. It was not only of a landmark building, but a gathering place that felt like home to many people. The stubborn nature of the fire at North Java Inn took more than a dozen fire departments to put out.

>> Photo gallery of newstracker pictures of fire here

North Java Fire Department Chief Brian Boorman said, "Due to the ice and the cold weather, we were having issues with trucks freezing up and personnel falling down."

Patrons felt compelled to bear witness to the end of their favorite restaurant and bar.

Mark Meyer said, "I went here with my father when I was a little guy. We'd stop after church, have a cold beer. Knew everybody in the town."

Firefighter Shelly McCune said, "The feel was, it was very local. Always the same people in there, but you had those certain months that, if someone walked in the door, it was like, "That's a new person.""

No one felt the pain of the loss more than the Filipiak family. Paula had been the cook and part-owner with her husband, Ken, and had devoted her life to the North Java Inn restaurant.

Paula said, "It was my whole life. 16 years of hard work. All my employees. Everything's gone, everything's gone."

Monday night was set to be wing night. Paula was shopping in Buffalo for food for the restaurant when she got the call from her husband that the inn was on fire.

"She broke down on the phone. It's not a good thing," said Ken.

Not good either for the one tenant, Greg Przybyl, who lived on the second floor.

"A beautiful place. Kenny and Paula, the owners, were great people. They always took care of me. I helped them out as much as I could," said Przybyl.

Przybyl had just left for work before the fire took its toll. The building that had endured more than 160 years of history was lost to the flames.

Many of the old pictures of the North Java Inn were hanging on the walls inside and were destroyed. Ken and Paula are not sure if they will rebuild.