Bridgehampton House Fire Handled Quickly

On Chester Avenue in Bridgehampton, a little dogleg of a back street just north of downtown, the old cottages have been steadily replaced by new, and far larger, construction. Now in another blow to what the street once was, one of those cottages had a fire rip through it Thursday morning. 

"We got water on it within the first 10 minutes," Bridgehampton Fire Chief Chuck Broadmeadow said later that day. The call came in a little after 10 a.m. "It was inside. We contained it to one room. We were there for about one hour and 45 minutes." 

The department had two engines on the scene, with help from the departments in Sag Harbor, East Hampton, and Southampton. Southampton also sent an engine to stand by at the Bridgehampton Firehouse.

"Nobody was in the house," Chief Broadmeadow said. Peter Timmins is listed as the owner. "It's a single story, an older house," built in 1960 and not unfamiliar to the chief, as he's lived on that street for nearly 30 years.

The Southampton Town fire marshal is investigating the cause. The fire was said to have started in the attic.

"There was a lot of smoke and water," Chief Broadmeadow said. "Yeah, it could've been worse, but it was bad enough. They may have to tear the house down, but we don't know."

After the street had been reopened, a busted-out front plate-glass window and a darkened interior could be seen from the curb.