Fire Shuts Down Palm
The Palm restaurant at the historic Huntting Inn in East Hampton was closed for repairs this week following a kitchen fire. The nearby James Lane Cafe, which is under the same management, was opened on Saturday night, three weeks ahead of schedule, to offer the Palm's menu until it resumes business, probably next week.
The Main Street shopping district was closed to traffic for almost an hour and a half last Thursday afternoon as volunteer firefighters put out the relatively small blaze, which began in a kitchen wall. No damage can be seen from outside the building.
Inside, though, there was extensive damage to the kitchen, which is being almost entirely rebuilt and re-equipped. A second-floor bathroom and a third-floor bedroom were also damaged.
Fire Rose Upward
The upstairs damage was inevitable, said East Hampton Fire Chief James Dunlop, as firefighters, working to insure there were no hidden embers, cut back parts of the ceiling, floors, and walls.
The fire rose through the walls because of the way houses used to be built, explained Mr. Dunlop, who was making one of his last calls as chief of the East Hampton Fire Department.
The original building was constructed as a residence for the Rev. Nathaniel Huntting in 1699 and has been added onto many times over the years. Its use as an inn dates from the Revolutionary War.
Main Street Closed
The fire may have been caused by a flying spark, said Mr. Dunlop, or the old wood wall could have ignited on its own after being exposed to heat and wear over the years.
Between 90 and 100 volunteers responded to the alarm, with all the department's equipment. Ambulance personnel were on hand as well but there were no reported injuries.
Main Street had to be closed because volunteers hooked up one hose to a fire hydrant several hundred yards away, at the corner of Newtown Lane and Main Street. That hydrant "has always been the best one," the chief said.
The Suffolk County Water Authority has been updating other hydrants in the area since last year.
The Palm's fire alarm system went off when the fire began, but the restaurant's manager, thinking it was a false alarm, told village emergency dispatchers to ignore it. The automatic system reportedly often registers false alarms.
The manager called back about nine minutes later to request that the fire department respond.
Nick and Toni's
Another East Hampton restaurant, Nick and Toni's on North Main Street, also called in firefighters last week, on the evening of April 23, following a report of smoke in the basement. Mr. Dunlop said the cause was an electrical problem, either in the circuit-breaker or an ice machine. There was no fire damage.
At 12:09 a.m. that same day, Edward Curran, who lives behind Duke's restaurant, awoke to smell smoke and found a small fire in his kitchen. He extinguished it himself with a garden hose and then called for fire chiefs to check that it was out completely.
According to Mr. Dunlop, the fire began near a hot-water heater. Mr. Curran, who has no smoke detectors in his cottage, was lucky he woke up when he did, said the chief. One "whole end of the house was scorched," said Mr. Dunlop, noting that smoke detectors are required by law.
Truck Totaled
Again on April 23, a call of a truck on fire brought volunteers to 145 Old House Landing Road in Northwest. No one was at the house at the time, and a neighbor reported the fire. The truck was totaled, said Mr. Dunlop.
Mr. Dunlop's two-year term as chief ended on Saturday night, when new officers were inducted at the department's annual Inspection Dinner, held at the Maidstone Club.
Effective today, the new chief is David Griffiths. Francis Mott is the new first assistant chief and David Collins is second assistant.