A fire that started in a basement laundry room at 66 David's Lane at around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday was extinguished quickly by the East Hampton Village Fire Department.
“The room of origin had a lot of damage,” said Kenneth Cullum, the village fire marshal. “There was also smoke damage to the basement and to the first and second floors of the house.” No cause for the fire has been determined, but Mr. Cullum said it was in the vicinity of the washing machine and dryer machine. The dryer vent was “one of the things we’re looking at.” He said it’s important to frequently clean dryer vents, especially on vent runs with “a lot of elbows.”
Duane Forrester, the village fire chief, said he believed two housekeepers had called it in. It was not clear who lives at the house, as it is owned by a limited liability company, 66 Davids Lane, L.L.C. There were no injuries.
“My first assistant chief was first on scene,” said Mr. Forrester. “The basement door was completely blacked out with smoke. He forced it open but couldn’t locate the fire. Two firemen went in with a two-and-a-half-gallon water can, located the fire, and darkened it down a bit. The first engine arrived, we pulled lines in and made a quick aggressive stop. After that it was just airing out the house, putting fans in there, and getting all the smoke out.”
Basements have been a topic of discussion recently at the East Hampton Town Board level, where new zoning legislation could discourage supersized subterranean levels in homes. When asked, Mr. Forrester discussed a topic not broached during the zoning change legislation, the challenge of fighting fires in the underground lairs of the Hamptons.
“Some of the basements out here are definitely a little crazy,” he said. “Some have theaters and game rooms. Some have in-ground pools . . . bowling alleys . . . you run across all kinds of stuff. It makes our jobs harder. It’s that much more space to search. Once you get in, our packs are rated for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how much you exert and heat stress. Some basements have sub-basements. Sometimes our radio communications don’t work in sub-basements. There’s all kinds of different hurdles as we come on scene.”
