A popular landmark Lancaster County restaurant is reopening later this week following a fire in 2024.

The owners of Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant & Smorgasbord on the 2700 block of Old Philadelphia Pike in Leacock Township announced the Aug. 28 reopening.

“Renovations are nearing completion and our staff is eager to welcome everyone back,” they said.

The fire in January 2024 caused extensive damage to the restaurant, a month after an explosion at an adjacent hotel killed a longtime staff member.

Michelle Miller, 61, who had worked as a night auditor at the hotel for 34 years, died in the explosion in December 2023, according to the Bird-in-Hand Corporation, which runs the hotel and other tourist destinations in the area.

Officials determined the fire started in the restaurant’s ki

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