Rumson business owners vow return
Fire forced three people to relocate from apartments over deli
JEFF HUNTLEY Caryn and John Yurish, with their insurance agent, check the shell of the building that housed their Rumson business. The building was destroyed by a fire on Saturday.
The fire that destroyed Brennan’s Deli, River Road, Rumson, on Saturday shouldn’t keep the store closed too long.
Both property owner Raymond Spernal and the business’ owners John and Caryn Yurish said they are anxious to rebuild and get the deli and catering business running again.
Just before 9 p.m. on Saturday, a couple living in one of the two apartments above the business called the fire department after smelling smoke.
The couple got out of the building and informed Spernal of the situation, who also reported the fire.
Jeff Huntley The popular Brennan’s Deli will likely be closed at least four months, but the building and business owners hope to rebuild as quickly as possible.
Rumson Fire Chief Tom Blumel said the blaze was under control in about two hours and was completely extinguished in four hours.
In addition to the borough’s department, firefighters from Fair Haven, Middletown and Eatontown responded, and fire companies in Little Silver and Sea Bright were on standby, according to Blumel.
The fire marshal’s report indicated the blaze started in an electrical junction box in a wall of the kitchen. It is not considered suspicious.
For the Yurishes, the fire comes during a particularly busy season, and Caryn Yurish said they are sad to say they will not be able to fulfill their immediate catering business obligations.
"Every restaurant in Rumson has offered us help," Yurish said. "The whole community has reached out." But, she noted, there are conflicts and liabilities that pose serious obstacles to the couple’s ability to accept those offers.
"We’d love to be able to cater," Yurish said on Tuesday. "I know it would make our employees and staff extremely happy to be able to get back to work."
Complicating matters even beyond finding a place to work, the entire inventory of the business was lost, according to Yurish.
She noted that the insurance company had been at the site and made that judgment as well.
Despite all of the problems, the employees of the business are not at a complete loss.
Yurish noted that "we value our employees incredibly and wrote them into our insurance policy."
She said she hoped to be back in business within four to six months, and Spernal said that time frame was his goal as well.
Spernal said he definitely plans to rebuild, and the first adjuster from his insurance company has already visited the site.
"We’re really compatible," Spernal said of his relationship with the Yurishes. "This is a particularly sad thing to have happen to them at this time of year. I think they were tremendously booked for December."
He said that the couple and the other individual who live in the apartments above the deli did lose some possessions, but both were able to find other living quarters.