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'Nothing Left' After Water Mill House Fire

Tue, 05/30/2023 - 13:00
A house on Farmstead Lane, Water Mill, was gutted by fire on Sunday.
Southampton Fire Department

About 70 firefighters from seven departments battled a massive house fire on Sunday afternoon at 38 Farmstead Lane in Water Mill.

One firefighter was treated at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital for heat exhaustion, and was released a short while later. A dog is thought to have been inside the house at the time of the fire.

"Crews battled the extreme heat from the flames but were able to bring the fire under control within an hour," Chris Brenner, the Southampton Fire Department's public information officer, said in a release. The firefighters were then "on scene for several hours knocking down hot spots."

Multiple neighbors called in the fire, beginning at 2:43 p.m. The flames "could be seen as far away as the North Fork," Mr. Brenner said. The house "was completely destroyed. There was nothing left."

With Southampton Fire Chief Manny Escobar coordinating the response, firefighters from Hampton Bays, East Quogue, North Sea, Bridgehampton, Sag Harbor, and East Hampton helped his department extinguish the flames. Ambulance crews from Flanders, Southampton, Southampton Village, and Hampton Bays also responded to keep the firefighters safe.

There's no formal word yet on how the fire started, Mr. Brenner said, as the Southampton Town fire marshal is still investigating.

 

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