Electric Heater May Be to Blame for Montauk Yacht Club Fire

Firefighters responding to an automatic fire alarm at the Montauk Yacht Club on Sunday night discovered flames, which the Montauk Fire Department quickly extinguished. The fire caused minimal damage to one hotel room. 

Fire Chief Joe Lenahan said Monday that Vinne Franzone, the first assistant chief, Dave Grimes, a department captain, and Domingo Schiappacasse, a lieutenant, were on duty when the department was called to the alarm at 32 Star Island Drive on a snowy evening. The alarm was going off in a hotel room in the north building along a dock across from the pool. "Chief Franzone called dispatch to confirm that we had a fire immediately," said Chief Lenahan, who arrived within three minutes. Within a half-hour, firefighters put out the flames.

"Good thing the alarm system did its job," he said. 

The hotel was unoccupied, as the yacht club is closed for the season, but the heat and alarms were still on, according to Tom Baker, an East Hampton Town fire marshal who is investigating. The cause may have been a problem with a built-in electric wall heater in the room. The fire damaged a bathroom and burned through an outside wall. Mr. Baker described the damage as minimal.

"It was a good stop by the Montauk Fire Department," Mr. Baker said. "They did a really good job under the circumstances getting things done," he said referring to the snow and ice. 

One firefighter injured his shoulder and was treated at the hospital on Monday morning, Chief Lenahan said.

Five pieces of apparatus from the Montauk Fire Department responded, along with an engine from the Amagansett Fire Department and the rapid intervention team from the East Hampton Fire Department. The Springs Fire Department was asked to stand by at Montauk's headquarters.