VERONA, N.Y. – It was shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday when crews responded to the fire.
"It was going pretty good when we got here. It actually got some assistance from the wind," said Verona Fire Department Assistant Chief Mark Nell. "The wind was pushing it through pretty good when we were trying to fight it."
It took crews about three-hours to get the fire under control.
"It was a wind-driven fire so a lot of the fire was being driven so it took us a little while to get it knocked down," said Nell.
Once it was under control, an excavator was brought in to pull away debris so firefighters could put out remaining hot spots.
The building and statue have been around for a few decades, but the restaurant changed hands about a year ago.
That's when it became the "Stampede Steakhouse and Saloon," one of the few still locally-owned businesses in the area.
"It's kind of rare to have local owner from the area own such a beautiful place like the Stampede," said Shawn Casley of Vernon.
"Everything seems to be going largely commercial and chain restaurants and things like that, chain motels," said Kevin Boone of Verona.
Everything seems to have been burned, except for the restaurant's iconic bull.
"As long as I've been alive and I've been in this area, I've seen that bull everyday of my life. It's pretty iconic," said Casley.
The owner did not want to appear on-camera, but told us that he does not know what his future plans are.
"I hope it continues on. Nobody gets hurt, you can build another building," said Boone.
"Do not get rid of the bull," Casley said. "That's all I ask".
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
No one was inside when the fire started because the restaurant was closed.