Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant & Smorgasbord reopened its doors on Dec. 28. Following a fire at the adjacent Bird-in-Hand Family Inn, the restaurant's structure, gas line and tanks, heating/ventilation/air conditioning, water and electrical systems passed safety inspections.

The Bird-in-Hand Stage, on the restaurant's lower level also opened, but closed for the season after the last performance of "Our Christmas Dinner" on Dec. 30.

The resort hotel has been closed since Dec. 18, following a fire that destroyed its front office building. Guests were accommodated in the pool building, which was undamaged by the fire.

The largest of the hotel's buildings, the pool building has 90 rooms and suites, plus a host of recreational facilities, including two heated indoor pools, a hot tub, a game room and an exercise room. The check-in desk has been temporarily relocated to the building's D Lobby, near the second carport.

The fire did an estimated $1 to $2 million damage to the sales office, registration area and several of the rooms in the front building, including its popular schoolhouse suite and other village rooms. Pending results of the inspector's report and receipt of necessary permits, the company intends to rebuild those facilities.

In addition, Bird-in-Hand Corporation held a vigil to honor the life of Michele Miller, an employee who lost her life in the fire.

Miller, 61, was night auditor at the hotel and was on the premises when an explosion occurred in the front office at approximately 2:30 a.m. She had worked for the company for 34 years, and lived in Lancaster with her husband, Joe.

Community members may donate in Miller's name to Water Street Mission in Lancaster or St. Patrick Pottsville Area Kitchen in Pottsville.

The Bird-in-Hand Family Inn, located at 2740 Old Philadelphia Pike, closes the week before Christmas every year for cleaning and maintenance, so very few people were in the building on the night of the fire, which appears to have been caused by a propane explosion and did an estimated $1 million to $2 million in damages.

Hotel staff members are in the process of contacting guests who hold reservations for closed portions of the Family Inn to inform them of the updates. For questions about an existing reservation, or to book a room or suite, contact central reservations at 717-768-8271 or CentralReservations@Bird-in-Hand.com.

The company's other lodging properties, its Bird-in-Hand Bakery & Cafe and Artisan Village all are operating on their normal schedules.