Six Fire Departments Called Out For Sag Harbor Fire Saturday

Six fire departments were called out Saturday afternoon to a fire in Noyac that severely damaged a house.

The fire was reported shortly before 2 p.m. at 148 Harbor Watch Court, at the corner of the north end of Pheasant Road. Sag Harbor Fire Department Chief Steve Miller said a passerby saw smoke in the area and called it in.

Chief Miller said the house was full of smoke when firefighters arrived and Sag Harbor Fire Department immediately called in neighboring fire departments for a rapid intervention team and additional manpower.

It appears that the fire began in the basement and traveled through ventilation ducts and voids in the house to the second story, Chief Miller said, noting that a Southampton Town fire marshal will make the ultimate determination. The first floor was largely unaffected.

Though the fire was extinguished fairly quickly after firefighters arrived, there had already been extensive damage, the chief said. Firefighters broke through the second-story drywall ceiling to attack the fire between the ceiling and the roof, which was significantly burned toward the rear of the house.

Chief Miller said the house was unoccupied when the fire broke out but the family who lived there come out when firefighters were still on scene.

Amagansett Fire Department stood by at a Sag Harbor fire station. East Hampton, Bridgehampton, North Sea and Southampton fire departments were called to the scene. No injuries were reported.

The call wrapped up around 5:30 p.m., but then the Sag Harbor Fire Department was called out to a different fire at around 5:45 p.m. Chief Miller said the second call was for a furnace fire at 480 Main Street that was quickly put out.

Southampton Town Chief Fire Marshal John Rankin said Monday afternoon, November 2, that fire marshals know that the fire began in the unfinished basement and worked it way up through HVAC ducts, but the cause is not yet known definitively. He added that the fire is not suspicious.

“The damage is quite extensive,” he said. “There’s some pretty bad structural damage, too. There are actually sections of the first floor that are not stable anymore.”

Beams supporting the first floor were burned. The majority of the damage was to the attic and the concealed spaces behind the walls, Mr. Rankin said, adding that there was additional smoke and water damage that occurred while the fire was being extinguished.

The house is not habitable currently due to structural damage, and the insurance company will determine is the house is repairable or a complete loss, Mr. Rankin said.