Arson Squad Investigating Springs Truck Fire

A fire that East Hampton Town police are calling "suspicious in nature" destroyed the cab of a 2007 Ford 550 dump truck parked at a house on Neck Path in Springs late Wednesday morning.

The owner, Elaine Daddio, had gone shopping, but left something behind and returned around 11:40 to find the truck in flames, she said Thursday. Ms. Daddio lives at the house, which is owned by Jefferson Eames, and works with Mr. Eames in his tree care business.

Amagansett firefighers responded and extinguished the blaze, but the truck was totaled, Mr. Eames said. It was taken to the East Hampton Town police impound yard to be checked for clues about the cause of the fire.

The Suffolk County police arson squad is investigating along with the town police, who are looking to the public for help. Police have asked anyone with information about the fire to call the detective squad at 631-537-7575.

Ms. Daddio said Thursday that she had been up all night following the incident, frightened that the person or persons responsible for setting the truck on fire might come back.

Mr. Eames returned to Springs in December after serving five months in county jail for five misdemeanors including endangering the welfare of a child, hosting a party at which minors were consuming alcohol, and fleeing a police officer. He claimed on Thursday that his house had been broken into while he was in jail and that numerous items had been stolen. He said he was just starting to get his business back off the ground, and that the fire was a major setback.