Fire at Film Composer's Amagansett House Under Investigation

Arson detectives are investigating a fire at an Academy Award-nominated composer's house in Amagansett at the start of the July Fourth weekend. 

East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo said town police detectives and the Suffolk Police Department's arson squad responded at the request of the town fire marshal and the Amagansett Fire Department chiefs, who, he said, deemed it suspicious.

Allen Bennett, the Amagansett fire chief, described it as a small deck fire and said that it is still under investigation.

Chief Sarlo said no further information was available. 

The Amagansett Fire Department was called to a report of a structure fire at 39 Marine Boulevard at 1:43 a.m. That address is the home of Carter Burwell, a composer of cinema scores who was nominated this winter for the score for "Carol," and his wife, Christine Sciulli, an artist. He is also a volunteer firefighter.

It's not the first fire on that street in the Beach Hampton neighborhood. On May 15, flames broke out at a house that was unoccupied and under construction across the street from Mr. Burwell and Ms. Sciulli's. In that incident, the Amagansett fire chief said the blaze began in a Dumpster that was four feet away and then climbed up the side of the house. Despite strong winds, firefighters were quickly able to prevent it from spreading. The second-story kitchen, several decks, a staircase, and parts of the roof were damaged.