Flames Consume Community Room At Atlantic Bluffs Club Complex

A maintenance man working in the co-op’s community room accidentally started the fire Saturday night that ultimately destroyed his own home at the Atlantic Bluffs Club in Montauk, East Hampton Town Fire Marshal Tom Baker explained Monday.

The man was working on the second story of the western of three buildings on the Old Montauk Highway site when the fire ignited. He was fitting a fireplace screen and using a hand tool to grind down metal so the screen would fit. Wearing a respirator and goggles to do the work, the worker couldn’t see or smell everything around him, Mr. Baker said. But, Mr. Baker said, eventually the worker noticed a haze and turned to see the flames. Sparks had ignited either a couch or drapes.

Fire marshals head to the scene as soon as an alarm goes out. Arriving while a fire is still underway can help determine its cause. “We learn a lot of stuff when we get there early,” Mr. Baker said.

The first alarm went out at approximately 6:50 p.m. and firefighters arrived at 707 Montauk Highway to find a front unit fully engulfed in flames. Flames licked the sky climbing close to 30 feet above ground level, with smoke reportedly seen at the IGA in town and as far away as the North Fork.

The wind was gusting up to 40 mph, according to weather reports, with periodic snow showers during the twilight hours.

“The wind was blowing from the north to the south,” Montauk Fire Department Chief David Ryan said.

That was a fortunate gift from Mother Nature, because the wind did not blow the fire into more of the building. Still, flames climbed to the sky and, Chief Ryan said, blew sideways toward utility poles on Old Montauk Highway.

The first firefighters on the scene met the maintenance man there, turned off the power to the building, looked for other fuel sources, and set up in a parking lot on the western edge of the property. A call went out to the Amagansett Fire Department to join the battle; that department’s engine was used, the chief said.

A tower truck that can raise a platform up to 90 feet into the air allowed firefighters to shoot water down into the flames, as firefighters attacked it from the ground level simultaneously.

A rapid intervention team from East Hampton Fire Department responded, the chief said, in case any volunteers needed rescuing from the interior of the building. None did, but the chief said, “They’re there to protect other firefighters.” When the roof collapsed on the second floor, firefighters were inside the structure, but, according to the chief, “well away” from falling timbers.

Within two hours, the bulk of the fire had been knocked back with firefighters hitting hot spots by 8:50 p.m. What was time consuming, the chief said, was “chasing the fire in the rafters.” The battle was complete by 10 p.m.

Old Montauk Highway was closed off from its intersection with Washington Avenue to the west and Montauk Highway to the east. Volunteers from Montauk, East Hampton, and Amagansett responded to the fire with Springs and Sag Harbor departments providing coverage at the Montauk and Amagansett firehouses.

“It was a good effort by everyone,” the chief said. “The fire department showed up quick with a lot of men.”

The chief had wondered how volunteers would be able to work and comply with NY PAUSE social distancing recommendations.

“Normally, in a fire, we’re on top of each other,” he pointed out. “It was amazing how they respected each other’s social distance. We got the job done and figured out how to give each other space.”

There were people staying in units in the complex. Just one unit on the same side of the fire was occupied, and the inhabitants left safely. Others were located in units further away from the flames. No one was hurt, Mr. Baker said.

Annual inspections allow fire marshals to get the lay of the land, and approach an investigation with knowledge of a site and its structures. There are 56 units in three buildings on the 2.65-acre site. Because the co-ops are owned individually, Mr. Baker said, his office could be dealing with multiple insurers and insurance investigators.

Sometimes he’s asked to estimate the monetary loss. According to the realty site outeast.com, a unit at the site, located just 30 yards from the ocean, recently listed for $445,000. On Airbnb, another 500-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bath unit was advertised for $300 per night, or $40,000 for the summer season.

At the initial call, some thought the fire was at the Briney Breezes motel right next door. In October 2015, firefighters battled a blaze at Briney Breezes for three and a half hours.

Chief Ryan recalled the Briney Breezes fire on Monday and said, “We fought that fire from the same parking lot.”