Trainer’s Inn fire looks to have started in basement

A once-popular Franklin Township restaurant was destroyed by fire early Sunday morning.

Crews began responding to the blaze at Trainer’s Inn, 845 Interchange Road, around midnight.

“We don’t have a final determination yet, but we believe it may have started in the basement,” Franklin Township Fire Chief Lynn Diehl said on Sunday afternoon.

The restaurant has been closed for around a year, but Diehl said a relative of the property owner was on site and had lit a fire in the fireplace.

When the first crews got on scene, he added, flames had not intensified yet, however smoke was pouring out of the basement.

“They’re doing some renovations and they’re in the process of selling it, so the place was pretty well in shambles inside,” Diehl said. “We had some trouble getting to the heart of the fire. It had spread to some different areas and the access from area to area wasn’t great inside.”

Around 10 to 12 companies responded to the fire and, according to Diehl, all water was hauled in from off site.

The last crews left the scene around 11 a.m. Sunday morning.

Former customers share memories

Earl Long, of Lehighton, stopped by the scene on his way home from church Sunday morning to survey the damage.

Like many locals, Long recalled the restaurant’s heyday when business was booming.

“This place was always filled 20-30 years ago and more,” he said. “There was a time when it had some of the best food around. The wings were excellent. Everything was excellent. It went downhill over time. Everyone knows that. But this is really sad to see.”

The building holds a special memory for Sue Anthony of Lehighton.

“My family last ate there on Thanksgiving Day 2016, the day after our family lost our home to fire and the staff couldn’t have been any nicer to us, plus the food was great,” she said. “This restaurant was a historical place. Many people from far and wide knew this place because of the hotels, turnpike and attractions near by. Yes, it had its ups and downs but always bounced back.”

Trainer’s Inn was the site of Holly Ann Hummel’s first date with her husband 14 years ago.

“We used to go back every year on the anniversary of our date until it closed,” she said.