By CHRIS RUELI
Chris Rueli/Register Citizen Cuginos restaurant in Hartland, just before opening for dinner on Saturday night. Although a chimney fire caused damage to a portion of the business, it wasn't enough to keep it closed and the owner says he'll be fine.
EAST HARTLAND — The pub side of Cuginos Restaurant will remain open for dining while the owner waits for insurance analysts to come on Monday to assess the damage of a chimney fire that occurred on Thanksgiving night.
The fire was extinguished by multiple fire departments in the area in the late hours of Thanksgiving day, sparing the structure, which has stood there for over 300 years, according to the owner, Nizo Cuginos.
“We had been burning wood in the fireplace all day long and we had an accident. It happened at night after everybody left,” Cuginos said.
“We had 20 fire trucks from many different fire departments here. I felt at that moment, that I am not the only one who cares about this house; someone else cares about it too,” Cuginos said.
It showed by the way the fire fighters responded and extinguished the fire so promptly, according to the owner.
“They did a good job. They gently opened this place. They tried to create the least amount of damage possible while putting the fire out,” Cuginos said.
“I am still waiting for Monday to find out the damages. My insurance has to come and assess the situation,” he said.
As for now, Cuginos will serve dinner in the pub, but they have had to cancel parties that were going to take place in the main dining room, where the fire occurred.
“This is a big loss because a lot of parties and large groups that come in want to dine on that side. They like the fireplace and atmosphere,” Cuginos said.
Between having his insurance company assess the damage and getting contractors and builders in to fix what was damaged, the owner is not 100 percent sure when he will be able to re-open the entire restaurant for business.
“I’m going to fix it up and everything will return to normality. The question is, how long will it take?” Cuginos said. “Two weeks? Three? Four or Five?”
Cuginos noted that during the long weekend, it has been very difficult to reach any construction or insurance people to come out to the site.
“The biggest effect is the loss of business on the big Thanksgiving weekend and the next two weeks. I already canceled one big party and told them I couldn’t host their party because of an accident,” he said.
Up to 45 people can eat in the bar, but during the Christmas season people don’t want to eat in the pub with their family. They want to eat in the dining room with that wonderful atmosphere, according to the owner.
Overall, the owner does not think he will lose too much business.
“It is out of my hands now, the insurance needs to make estimates. I don’t know how long it is going to take for it to be fixed,” he said. “I hope that people will not forget about this place. I know they will be back, I believe I will have support.”
The owner expressed how thankful he was to the fire departments that responded.
“Thank you, East Hartland, Granby, Winsted and everyone else that came that night
