Eye 'Suspicious' Fire

A house fire burned for about two and a half hours Monday night at 312 Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton. It has been labeled "suspicious" by East Hampton Town Police, the town fire marshal, and the Suffolk County Arson Squad.

John Grauer, a county arson detective, said yesterday that most accidental causes, including an "act of God" like lightning, and electrical, mechanical, or heat transfer problems, had been ruled out, and that the cause of the fire was still undetermined. Ninety-five percent of the time, he said, the causes of fires are identifiable.

Officials would not say that arson was a possible cause, but they agreed it had not been ruled out.

House Was Empty

The blaze was reported at about 10:20 p.m. by a neighbor, Stacy Bennett. The house, which Daniel and Bonnie Boothe own, was vacant at the time.

Jim Dunlop, the East Hampton Fire Department chief, said Tuesday that because the fire reached the basement as well as the roof where it attaches to the front porch, "we had fire on all three levels," which made fighting it more difficult. The blaze was "knocked down" fairly quickly, he said, although it took a while before all the "hot spots" could be fully extinguished and a good hour and a half before the situation was "under control."

About 75 volunteer firefighters and all the department's equipment responded to the scene. They left at about 1 a.m. Tuesday morning without any injuries.

More To Renovate

The fire chief said much of the inside fire damage was to an enclosed front porch, and that there was smoke damage throughout the house. Parts of the roof were also damaged, he said, as well as the outside basement framing.

Police and fire officials noted that the owners had been renovating the house, and had recently had to have pests exterminated there.

The couple had been living in Saudi Arabia, where Mr. Boothe was working for the U.S. Department of Defense. After returning to East Hampton several weeks ago the couple complained to the East Hampton Town Housing Office and to local newspapers that town-placed tenants who rented the house had left it a mess and aswarm with cockroaches.

Mr. Dunlop said that while the fire did not destroy the house, it did add to what had to be renovated, and that the porch roof would probably have to be replaced.

Overnight Vigil

The Police Department maintained a presence at the scene from when the fire was first reported until the town fire marshal, David DiSunno, could return in the light of the day to continue his investigation. There were no laboratory tests being conducted to determine the fire's cause, Mr. DiSunno and Detective Grauer said.

Mr. DiSunno said he interviewed the Boothes the night of the fire as well as the next morning, and noted that they "appeared to be very upset" about the fire. They had been staying with friends while the house was being renovated, he said. The Star could not locate them for comment.

County Called

The County Arson Squad was called in to investigate the fire in addition to the local authorities. Detective Grauer and Mr. DiSunno both said they had completed their physical examinations of the fire scene.

Mr. DiSunno said he expected to interview people, including the neighbor who reported it through 911, about the fire. He added that a town police detective had also been interviewing in connection with the police investigation.