Fire Guts New York Mill Owned by Cooperstown Baseball Bat Maker

April 27, 2017

A fire has heavily damaged the upstate New York mill owned by a Cooperstown-based wood baseball bat company.

Emergency officials in Otsego County say the fire was reported around 6 p.m. Monday at Cooperstown Bat Co.’s mill in the town of Hartwick, adjacent to the village of Cooperstown. Eight local volunteer fire departments extinguished the blaze around 11:30 p.m.

No one was injured.

Officials say the 75-foot-long by 35-foot-wide single-story building is a total loss.

The bat company had moved equipment into the building after buying the property last fall. Cooperstown Bat’s nearby finishing factory wasn’t damaged. The company also has a retail store on Cooperstown’s Main Street.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The company’s website says it makes wood baseball bats for game use, collecting and displaying.