A former furniture warehouse on Binghamton’s east side that once made the Guinness Book of World Records for displaying the largest chair in the world on its roof burned to the ground in a massive fire that began Wednesday night and was still smoldering more than 15 hours later.
Firefighters responded to the former Pa’s Woodshed on Montgomery Street shortly before 10:30 pm Wednesday. Crews from Vestal, Port Dickinson and the city of Binghamton fought the blaze, which spread throughout the warehouse and adjacent buildings.
Crews were forced to take fight the fire by allowing it to burn itself out, while preventing it from spreading to other buildings. The warehouse had been slated for demolition and the nearest hydrant wasn’t working, which forced crews to use a water source–blocks away.
Firefighters also battled overnight temperatures dropping into the teens. Fire investigators haven’t released a cause for the fire but speculated that it could have been set by homeless people trying to keep warm. They also have not ruled out arson.
When Pa’s Woodshed was in business, the rocking chair on top of the building stood 24-feet, 9 inches tall.
