Fire Breaks Out at Duryea's Lobster Deck in Montauk
Update, 6:45 p.m.: Montauk Fire Department Chief Joe Lenahan said a fire that broke out at Duryea's Lobster Deck on Saturday afternoon, causing damage to a wall, could have been a lot worse had no one been there when it started.
Perry B. Duryea III, who sold the the iconic waterfront seafood wholesale and retail market complex last year but is still managing it, called 911 after spotting smoke in the kitchen while doing some maintenance work, Chief Lenahan said Saturday evening. Firefighters were called out at 1:45 p.m.
The exterior wall of the kitchen was damaged by flames. The chief said the cause of the fire was "a rotten gas pipe." The East Hampton Town fire marshal's office is investigating. "If no one was there it would have been worse. He was able to shut down the gas and power to the entire complex," Chief Lenahan said.
About 50 firefighters and five of the department's trucks responded. They were back at headquarters an hour and 15 minutes later.
There are plans in the works for a high-end restaurant on the property, which includes a dining deck on Fort Pond Bay.
Original, 2:24 p.m.: A fire was reported at Duryea's Lobster Deck , the iconic waterfront seafood wholesale and retail market complex in Montauk on Saturday afternoon.
Perry B. Duryea III called 911 after spotting smoke in the kitchen, and the Montauk Fire Department was called out at 1:45 p.m. Firefighters reportedly found flames near the roof on the side of the building, which is at 65 Tuthill Road overlooking Fort Pond Bay. Mr. Duryea, who with his wife, Wendy, sold the property last year, had stayed on as the Lobster Deck's manager.
Firefighters were attacking the fire from the inside of the building, and the department's ambulance company was setting up to assess firefighters. Chief Joe Lenahan asked firefighters to spread Speedy Dry because of the icy conditions. No other departments were called.
The East Hampton Town fire marshal's office was called to investigate what caused the fire.
There are plans in the works for a high-end restaurant on the property, which includes a dining deck on Fort Pond Bay.
Mr. Duryea's grandfather bought into the business in the early 1930s. It and an adjacent property, as well as two underwater parcels, sold for $6.35 million to Sunrise Tuthill, an otherwise unidentified Delaware corporation, in March.
Check back for more details as they become available.