A lightning strike at Peekskill’s Abbey Inn and Spa last week did minimal damage, caused no injuries, and events are slated to go on as scheduled, according to an Abbey Inn official.
There were no guest rooms where the strike occurred last Wednesday.
Rather, it happened on a ballroom/banquet side, in a corner area between roofs and ceiling, said Sanjeev Rai, the inn’s general manager.
Rai said the lightning rod/wire, which is grounded, mostly did its job, but that maybe there were a couple of strikes and one led to what he described as largely a smoke situation with some embers burning.
“It really wasn’t a full-blown fire, so to speak,” Rai said.
Rai said damage included a couple of broken windows — a precaution for the responding firefighters — and some wall damage, which he said has all been repaired. He said an area of roof that had been cut through will have to be fixed.
Events scheduled for the past weekend at the Abbey Inn went forward as planned.
Related Abbey Inn in Peekskill reportedly struck by lightning: See photos, video of fire
Yorktown Heights Volunteer Fire Department, which responded to the scene to assist Peekskill firefighters, said in a Facebook post that it was assigned roof operations “as the fire was located in a section of the roof in the 122 year old former convent.” Firefighters performed “the extremely manpower and labor intensive process of cutting away multiple layers of built up asphalt shingles, multiple layers of foam insulation, tar, plywood and tongue & groove lumber to expose and knock down the fire in void spaces under the roofline and check for further extension in the hot and humid weather.”
Peekskill fire chief James Seymour said last week “it appeared that lightning did strike the structure that led to a fire involving a lower roof structure.”
Ginsburg Development Companies converted the vacant former St. Mary's Convent building into the Abbey Inn and Spa with Apropos restaurant (recommended by the Michelin Guide) several years ago. The property is a destination for weddings, business conferences and tourism.
There's a restaurant, indoor and outdoor pools, valet service and a concierge.
The 42-room inn and spa, at 900 Fort Hill Road, were part of a Ginsburg development that, elsewhere on the property, includes the 178-units Fort Hill Apartments , in Peekskill's northwest, with Hudson River views.
About 60 acres next to the apartments and inn are designated as hiking trails.
The Fort Hill site was a lookout post for George Washington's army during the Revolutionary War, according to the developer. The property became home to the Sisters of St. Mary, an Episcopal order, in the late 1800s.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: No injuries, damage minimal at Peekskill's Abbey Inn after lightning strike, official says
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