Putting out the flames was not the only concern on firefighters' minds during a house fire on Sunday evening, as it was the first fire in East Hampton since the coronavirus outbreak.
The East Hampton Fire Department and the East Hampton Village Ambulance Association received a report of a structure fire at 6 Liano Drive, off of Wainscott-Northwest Road, at 7:13 p.m. The occupants reported that a fire in the fireplace had gone out and then they noticed the nearby wall had become discolored and felt warm to the touch. They called 911 immediately.
The chiefs arrived at the 3,500-square-foot house to find that flames had traveled from a void space next to the fireplace on the first floor, up through the walls and attic space on the second floor and into the ceiling of a second-floor bedroom and was extending through the roof, Chief Turza said late Sunday. "The rapid fire-spread was aided by large, open cathedral-type ceilings and wood frame construction," he added.
Firefighters staged "an aggressive interior attack" on both floors and quickly brought the main body of the fire under control within 35 minutes, he said. While there was not much damage visible from outside the house, except for a section of the roof, the fire did cause substantial damage to the living room and at least one second-floor bedroom, the chief said. There was also minor water damage in the basement.
The occupants of the four-bedroom house, which last sold for $2.2 million, according to OutEast.com, were going to stay elsewhere at least until an electrician could respond to restore power to parts of the house, the chief said.
In total, 65 volunteer firefighters responded with three engines, a pumper truck, its tower ladder, its tanker, a heavy rescue truck, and one fire police unit. The Sag Harbor Fire Department was called to assist with a tanker truck to supply extra water and its rapid intervention team, in case the interior firefighters needed to be rescued. The Amagansett Fire Department was also asked to respond with its rapid intervention team.
There were no injuries reported.
Asked if the coronavirus affected firefighter operations, he said, "Yes, it most certainly does."
First, 911 dispatchers ask all callers if anyone involved has symptoms related to COVID-19 in an attempt to give first responders as much information as possible. No one at the house reported any symptoms.
"This was our first encounter with a structure fire with COVID-19. Members were very cognizant of distancing and minimizing the amount of personnel performing certain tasks. It was certainly on everyone’s mind," he said.
All department members have been issued N95 masks, used by healthcare workers to prevent contracting the virus. Those members not working with a self-contained breathing apparatus, a device worn on a firefighter's back to provide breathable air through a face piece that covers the firefighter's entire face, had to wear the N95 masks, he said.
In addition, the chief said that all self-contained breathing apparatus equipment was thoroughly decontaminated, along with other equipment. "This is something very new and challenging for us, but overall I think that my assistant chiefs, officers, and members did a great job, not only with fighting the fire, but also dealing with the concerns regarding COVID-19."
Meanwhile, the Springs Fire Department stood by at East Hampton's headquarters to answer other alarms. There was one automatic alarm while firefighters remained at the fire scene until 9:50 p.m.
The East Hampton Town fire marshal’s office is investigating the origin and cause of the fire, though it was already deemed not suspicious.
