Fire burns Catskills hotel that inspired 'Dirty Dancing'

LIBERTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A fire engulfed a building at the site of the long-abandoned Grossinger's Hotel, once among the most glamorous resorts in the Catskills. In its heyday, the property drew hundreds of thousands of vacationers a year. It has been cited as an inspiration for the film, "Dirty Dancing," and catered mostly to a Jewish clientele.

The blaze broke out Tuesday in a three-and-a-half story building on the old hotel property. Firefighters who responded to the scene had to cut through a gate and were hampered by overgrown bushes and concrete barriers. An excavator knocked down the building after the fire was out, according to a Facebook post from the Liberty Fire Department.

Fire trucks were forced to stop nearly 1,000 feet from the blaze, the post said. Long hoses were snaked through the grass and vines and up to the burning building — a white house that showed signs of disrepair.

Many of the other structures on the property had already been demolished. It was not clear what the burned building was used for during the resort's heyday.

It took crews six hours to put out the fire, the Facebook post said. The cause is under investigation.