WYNANTSKILL - Lightning may be the cause of a fire that wiped out a landmark in Wynantskill Tuesday night.
What was once Foley's Inn on West Sand Lake Road is destroyed.
Firefighters believe lightning hit the building around 11 p.m., sparking the fire.
Ed Foley's grandparents opened up the former restaurant and bar in the 1940s. It was a popular spot for more than 40 years.
After that, Foley's 88-year-old aunt lived in an apartment attached to the empty restaurant. Tuesday night she managed to escape the burning building on her own.
“She's 88-years-old. She got out in the dark. There was no power. She didn't have her glasses on. She actually tried to come downstairs, couldn't get through, then came back up and around the outside steps,” Foley said.
The woman went to the hospital for some minor breathing problems, but otherwise she's fine.