Iconic Central New York Diner is No More After Massive Explosion

A long-time small-town diner is no more. An explosion left nothing but pieces littering a busy highway and closing it for hours in Central New York.

The good news is no one was hurt in the massive explosion Friday night along State Route 12 in the town of Trenton. The bad news is Cindy's Diner is gone.

Several fire departments were called to the scene just after 8 PM. Trenton District Chief Kevin Kalk was the first fire officer to arrive and ordered State Route 12 to be closed in both directions due to large debris and heavy fire conditions.

State Route 12 Closed for Hours

Crews were able to bring the bulk of the fire under control in about 30 minutes. The clean-up was a different story.

Route 12 didn't re-open in both directions until 2 AM.

Special thank you to the NYS Department of Transportation, Oneida County DPW and the Town of Trenton Highway Department for all of their assistance with road closure and clearing the debris from the highway.

No Injuries, No Foul Play

No one was in the diner at the time of the explosion. It has been closed down for the past month.

The cause of the explosion is being investigated by the New York State OFPC, but no foul play is suspected. Everyone is being asked to respect the property owners and avoid the area at this time.

Pending Sale

Cindy's Diner has been serving home-cooked meals for more than 40 years. The restaurant went on the market on February 24, 2023, for $290,000.

Many updates include new flooring in the front, new automatic propane generator, newer AC Unit, hot water tank and water softener system 2 yrs old.

The diner sold on December 13 for $250,000 and the sale was still pending.