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Smoldering Logs Blamed for Fire in East Hampton

Thu, 01/07/2021 - 06:26
Michael Heller/East Hampton Fire Department

Two fires this week, one in a house and the other in a trailer, were swiftly handled by the East Hampton Fire Department, both in under an hour.

The first, a deck fire at a house on Route 114, was "a lesson in proper disposal of firewood," said Chief Gerry Turza. After using the fireplace Monday night, a resident "took all the logs in the fireplace that were somewhat smoldering and put them outside on their wooden deck, and that ignited – obviously."

The logs sat there for a while before setting fire to an exterior wall of the house, burning through the outer sheeting by 1:30 a.m. The fire department responded with one engine, two tankers, and a hose truck, and doused the remnants of the firewood on the front lawn. Firefighters had to cut a hole into the side of the house to ensure the blaze did not spread there. There were no injuries.

Fireplace materials may smolder for a while, said the chief, and the remnants should be put in a metal noncombustible container, not a plastic garbage can or deck. "Smoldering material is still fire, and it gets a little oxygen and keeps going," he said. The homeowners in this case were very lucky, said Mr. Turza. "They were probably five minutes away from having a full-blown house fire."

On Tuesday morning, the department also extinguished a fire in a 10-foot-long utility trailer parked at the National Waste Services property at 220 Springs-Fireplace Road, which, Chief Turza explained, a number of landscapers, tenants, and contractors use for storage. The fire was enclosed within the structure, which contained several propane tanks, lithium ion-powered tools, and other assorted chemicals and materials.

They used one engine, a tanker, and a heavy-rescue truck in putting out the flames. The town fire marshal's office was called in to determine the cause, though Chief Turza did not deem it suspicious.

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On the Police Logs 02.27.25

On Feb. 19, a Stuart’s Lane, East Hampton, woman reported two vehicles circling her neighborhood. Police found one vehicle parked on the shoulder. The driver explained that she was using the quiet street to teach her mother how to drive. The other vehicle was being used to practice parallel parking.

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