TROY, NY -- Charlie Staats, owner of the Flavour Cafe & Lounge that was heavily damaged in an early-morning fire on Friday, says he plans to rebuild and re-open within a few months.
Meanwhile, the cafe's coffee and desserts will be available at Flavour 2 Go at 501 Columbia Turnpike in East Greenbush, while the Troy store rebuilds, Staats said.
The fire was one of three apparently unrelated blazes that city firefighters were called to on Friday. The Times Union today reported that "At 2:45 a.m., firefighters were called to 871 River St. for a small fire in a vacant building without electricity, and (fire chief Tom) Garrett said the fire was caused by a squatter using a candle to heat a room. Troy police believe a co-owner of the building had given the squatter permission to be there. The co-owner, Terrence Battiste, 44, of Troy, showed up at the scene of the fire and began beating up the man who had been staying in the building, according to Police Capt. John Cooney. Battiste was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, harassment and resisting arrest.
"Battiste has been in the news before. He and another man were indicted in 2007 for murder in the deaths of Arica Lynn Schneider and Samuel "Frost" Holley in 2002. DNA later cleared the men and in July 2010 the charges against them were dropped. Michael Mosley was convicted of the murders and is in prison without the possibility of parole."
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