Firefighters Stop Fire From Spreading at Historic East Hampton Village House
Update, 4:30 p.m.: Firefighters saved an East Hampton Village house that dates back to the 18th century, known as Rowdy Hall, after a fire broke out in an addition Monday afternoon.
An automatic fire alarm called the East Hampton Fire Department to 111 Egypt Lane, on the corner of David's Lane, at about 2:10 p.m. Gerry Turza, the second assistant fire chief, and a captain, responded to check on the house. The house was not occupied. "They didn't see anything until they got around the backside of the house, and they had smoke," Chief Richard Osterberg Jr. said. Chief Turza called in the working structure fire, and asked the Amagansett Fire Department to bring its rapid intervention team so firefighters working inside the fire would have a backup.
The fire, which appears to have begun in a mechanical room in the one-story addition, possibly from a faulty heating system, had begun to extend into the roof and a crawl space, Chief Osterberg said, adding "there was a lot of fire up in the roof." Firefighters used ladders to get onto the roof and cut a hole in it in order to vent heat and smoke. "There were a couple of different layers of roof. They really had to strip the shingles to get through it all," he said.
In order to gain access to the fire that had extended into the crawl space, firefighters cut the floor in a bedroom. "It didn't extend too far," the chief said. Twenty minutes after the first engine was called, the fire was mostly extinguished. "The guys managed to get to it quick," he said.
The historic two-story saltbox, a former boarding house built in the mid-1700s, became known as Rowdy Hall when young artists' returning from Paris stayed there in the 1890s (The popular eatery and bar on Main Street eventually borrowed the name). Originally built on Main Street and David's Lane, it was moved to Gay Lane in 1895, then to its current location in 1925. In the late 1920s and 1930s, it was rented by Janet Lee Bouvier and John Vernou Bouvier III, who spent summers there with their daughter Jacqueline, the future first lady. New owners have renovated it in recent years.
Firefighters didn't just have to contend with the flames, but with the cold temperatures and snowy conditions. Snow fell all morning and into the afternoon, stopping about a half-hour before the fire broke out. They were met with dangerous conditions. "They're working up on a pitched roof that got snow built up on it. The road was a sheet of ice. The driveway was a sheet of ice," he said. No injuries were reported.
"Everybody did a really, really good job. It went smoothly, especially considering the weather," the chief said.
Originally, 2:46 p.m.: Firefighters battled a house fire on Egypt Lane in East Hampton Village Monday afternoon.
About a half-hour to 45 minutes after the snow stopped falling in the East Hampton area, the East Hampton Fire Department was first called to 111 Egypt Lane for an automatic fire alarm at 2:10 p.m. It was upgraded to a actual fire call at 2:18 p.m. A chief requested assistance from the Amagansett Fire Department's rapid intervention team, which would be used to a rescue a firefighter from inside the house if it became necessary.
The fire was reportedly extinguished by about 2:40 p.m., after firefighters cut through the house's roof and sprayed water on one side. Fire hoses were stretched across Egypt and David's Lanes. Village police closed David's Lane at Main Street.
Chief Richard Osterberg Jr. asked the Springs Fire Department to bring an engine and tanker to the East Hampton Firehouse in case there were any further calls. Two East Hampton ambulances also responded to the fire, and the fire marshal was asked to investigate the cause.
The East Hampton Fire Department's Ladies Auxiliary was asked to bring water, coffee, and Gatorade for the firefighters. The air temperature was 27 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. A winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 p.m. Monday.
Check back for more information as it becomes available.