UPDATE, 2:30 p.m.: South Fork Wind released a statement Wednesday afternoon saying that it had evacuated contractors working at its new Cove Hollow Road substation when it learned about the battery-station fire. "The fire was unrelated to South Fork Wind. No one was hurt, and fire officials cleared our team to return to the site once the fire was contained roughly two hours later," the statement read.
UPDATE, 1 p.m.: NextEra Energy released a statement on Wednesday afternoon saying that an internal water sprinkler system "safely contained" a fire. "Importantly, no one was injured. . . . However, it is possible that steam may still be visible from the site," a spokesperson said. "We believe this was an isolated incident and the cause is under investigation. We are coordinating our response with the East Hampton Fire Department."
UPDATE, 11:20 a.m.: Long Island Rail Road service on the Montauk branch has been restored, according to an agency spokesman. Local roads have reopened.
UPDATE, 11:15 a.m.: A PSEG representative said late Wednesday morning that the affected battery facility does not belong to PSEG, but rather to NextEra Energy. There are no power outages, the PSEG representative noted. NextEra could not immediately be reached for comment.
ORIGINALLY, 11 a.m.: What was reported to police dispatchers as a "smoldering battery" in a battery substation in East Hampton early Wednesday morning has resulted in road closures and halted train service.
According to East Hampton Village Police Chief Mike Tracey, Cove Hollow Road, Buell Lane, and Buell Lane Extension are currently off-limits in the area of the Cove Hollow Road substation.
A spokesman for the Long Island Rail Road said service was suspended at 10:19 a.m. on the Montauk branch, with eastbound trains halted at the Southampton station and buses en route to assist travelers.
No information was immediately available from PSEG, which operates Long Island's electrical grid.
Chief Tracey said the East Hampton Fire Department is standing by in case their assistance is needed. "You can't just open the doors and squirt water" on an electrical fire, he said.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
