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Lewis Street, Southampton Fire, March 30
A Southampton Village home on Lewis Street caught fire on Wednesday night, March 30, 2022. COURTESY TARYN LAWRENCE
Two Southampton Village Police officers were treated for smoke inhalation following their entry into a smoking house, Southampton Fire Department officials said late Wednesday, March 30.
First on the scene when the initial call came in at 7:57 p.m., the police officers went through the four-bedroom single-family residence on Lewis Street checking for occupants on the first and second floor.
Police Officer Kyle McGuinness confirmed fire coming from second floor windows, observed a vehicle in the driveway and found the front door locked.
“Fearing the residence could be occupied by a possible victim, due to the vehicle and the locked door, [McGuinness] forced entry through the front door and started calling out to anyone inside,” the Southampton Village Police blotter states.
Heavy black smoke roiled through the second story and McGuinness made it to the top of the stairs, calling for possible inhabitants. Forced down the stairs by the smoke, the officer met Police officers C.J. Knobel and Andrew Cassel and the three cleared the basement and first floor of potential occupants. Another attempt was made to go upstairs to check for potential victims before the officers left the building. Two of the officers — McGuinness and Knobel — were subsequently evaluated at the scene, then transported by Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.
Meanwhile, back at the fire scene, Southampton Fire Chief Alfred Callahan sought mutual aid in the form of a Rapid Intervention Team from the Hampton Bays Fire Department. The North Sea Fire Department also sent an engine to the scene. Department officials reported crews worked quickly and were able to extinguish the fire within 30 minutes. Overhaul was complete approximately one and a half hours later. Quick response and rapid work served to protect other homes in the neighborhood where single family dwellings are comparatively close to one another, officials said.
Southampton Village fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire.
