Crash, Car Fire Close Montauk Highway

Southampton Town police are investigating the cause of an accident on Montauk Highway in Bridgehampton Monday morning that involved two cars and a truck, leaving one of the cars engulfed in flames and four people in Southampton Hospital, where they were treated for what Bridgehampton Fire Chief Gary Horsburgh described as minor injuries.

The accident happened a little before 7:30 a.m. Monday by Halsey Lane near Citarella. When Chief Horsburgh arrived, what appeared to be an old Chevy Suburban was essentially a ball of fire that was beginning to spread to a second car. With two engines on the scene, Chief Horsburgh's department covered the burning wreck with foam to smother it, while a hose was turned on the second vehicle, to prevent the fire from spreading.

"It took about 30 to 45 minutes. It kept going out and reigniting," the chief said. The chief surmised that the driver had just filled the gas tank, which had been ruptured in the crash, providing a steady source of fuel for the fire.

By the time the chief arrived, the four occupants of the vehicles, including the burning one, had been pulled to safety by quick-acting good Samaritans. According to the chief, Rick Ostenberg, an East Hampton Fire Department chief, was in the area and was the first firefighter on the scene. He turned an extinguisher on the burning car, but the fire was already beyond control.

Cautioning that police were still investigating the details, Chief Horsburgh said it appears that two cars were involved in the main collision, while a Citarella truck was also involved secondarily. 

Montauk Highway was closed for an hour and 15 minutes.