Lake Mohegan volunteer firefighters often gather at the Colonial Terrace in Cortlandt for department functions, but Wednesday they were at the catering hall to do their jobs.

Firefighters responded to the call around 11 a.m. and found heavy smoke coming out of the building?s roof. According to Lake Mohegan Fire Chief George Keesler, the fire apparently started in the catering hall's laundry room and spread up the back of the building to the roof.

The Colonial Terrace has been a catering hall for 63 years and has hosted countless political functions, meetings, parties and weddings. The building dates back to the mid-1800s.

The 15 people that were in the building when the fire broke escaped unharmed. Some parts of the building were not damaged by the fire, but suffered water damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is not thought to be suspicious.