News

Fire Marshal Investigating East Hampton Shed Fire

By Taylor K. Vecsey

3 minute 06/18/2020

Scenes from a fire at 26 Cove Hollow Road in East Hampton.

What remains of the shed after the fire. Independent/Michael Heller

Update, 1:15 PM: The East Hampton Fire Marshal’s office brought in the Suffolk County arson squad and the East Hampton Town police to help investigate a fire that destroyed a shed on Wednesday night.

“We haven’t been able to put our finger on it,” Tom Baker, a fire marshal, said when asked about the cause of the fire. There was no electrical power to the shed and no evidence of smoking material that could have sparked the blaze.

The owner used the shed for storage, and there was a significant fire load inside, including fertilizer and garden mulch, Baker said. The shed was unlocked and the last time anyone was in there was reportedly about two weeks ago.

Adding to some suspicion, there was a fire on the property in 2013. Baker said that fire began in the outdoor shower area and spread up the side of the house. The cause went undetermined.

Because of that and because there was no obvious source of the shed fire, he brought in the Suffolk arson squad and the police. However, they did not come up with any determination either. “It’s just one of those oddities.”

Originally, 12:50 PM: The East Hampton Town Fire Marshal’s office is investigating what caused a fire in a shed on a residential East Hampton property Wednesday night.

The East Hampton Fire Department initially received a report that a fence was ablaze at 26 Cove Hollow Road at 11:35 PM. First Assistant Chief Duane Forrester was the first to arrive, and he found an 8-by-10 storage shed, which was close to the house, was fully engulfed in flames and the fire had spread to a fence and a vehicle parked nearby.

The fire was further exacerbated, Chief Gerard Turza Jr. said, by two propane BBQ tanks next to the house, which were venting and shooting flames 30 feet in the air. The chief decided to evacuate the house next door, as a precaution.

Firefighters responded with two engines, one hose truck, one tanker, one tower ladder and one fire police unit. One firefighter felt ill on scene as a result of dehydration, but the firefighter was not taken to the hospital, Chief Turza said.

The fire marshal’s office was not immediately available for a comment.

This article will be updated with more information when it becomes available.

taylor@indyeastend.com