Fire scorches Liberty Street building
First floor business remains open in spite of water damage
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

PHOTO BY ROB PRICE Pictured above, broken windows point to the fire damage sustained last week by the Shannon Building on Bath's Liberty Street.

BATH - Liberty Street's historic Shannon Building was damaged last week when a fire broke out in a second-story office building.

There were no injuries, however, and in spite of water damage to the first floor of the building, Richard "Pat" Brady's business, By Brady, remained opened.

Brady said he planned to keep the business operating.

Bath volunteer firefighters responded to a fire alarm early Thursday morning after Bath Police Sgt. Andy Dubois saw smoke coming from the building at about 1 a.m. Firefighters encountered flames that had engulfed the second-story room.

The apartment building was fully occupied, and police and firefighters evacuated the tenants immediately. Meanwhile, firefighters knocked the blaze down quickly, confining the fire damage to the second floor. Water and the acrid smell of smoke, however, permeates the building.

On the first floor, Brady spent Thursday remediating water damage to his store. By Brady sells engraved trophies, and business is brisk during the high school graduation season, Brady said.

"This is the time of year we do our thing," he said. "We're going to try to keep it going."

Brady has operated his store for 16 years at the Liberty Street location.