The East Hampton Fire Department was dispatched to 211 Springs-Fireplace Road, the address of CMG Auto Repairs, at 9:54 a.m. on Wednesday, in response to a report of a car on fire, but by the time firefighters arrived, "the whole shop was pretty much on fire," Chief Duane Forrester said in a phone call later that day.
They had been able to "knock it down pretty fast" and limit the fire's damage to one area of the building, but he suspected that the force of water used to extinguish the flames could have caused structural damage to the walls.
The building's truss roof was another concern. The style is very prone to collapse when exposed to high heat, the chief noted, which presents an additional risk to firefighter safety.
The structure endured, and no one was injured. The Amagansett Fire Department sent an engine to assist, and the Sag Harbor Department served as a Rapid Intervention Team, standing by in case any responding firefighters needed to be rescued.
The scene was cleared at 12:11 p.m. and turned over to the town fire marshal, who will investigate the cause of the fire.