Firefighters battle wind-driven fire in Wading River Saturday

Firefighters battled strong winds to contain and extinguish a fire that destroyed a home on 20th Street in Wading River early Saturday morning.

The Wading River Fire department was dispatched to a report of a residential structure fire on 20th St. at 1:07 a.m. Saturday, Wading River Fire Chief Mark Donnelly said in a statement. Multiple calls were received for visible fire from a home, the chief said.

Responding firefighters found an active fire in a single-story home, as well as two vehicles on fire next to the home, Donnelly said. The fire was also threatening a neighboring home due to the strong winds.

Third Assistant Chief Denise Gluck, who was first on scene, reported that all the occupants of the home were out and accounted for, Donnelly said. 

Riverhead, Rocky Point, Ridge and Manorville fire departments responded to assist Wading River with firefighting operations, including protecting the neighboring residence. Brookhaven National Laboratory Fire Department stood by as a rapid intervention team in case of any firefighters were injured or trapped. 

A medic and EMS personnel from Wading River Fire Department and a crew from Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps set up rehab for the firefighters and stood by in case of any injuries. 

Manorville Community Ambulance and Sound Beach FD stood by at Wading River’s headquarters to handle any additional calls in the district. 

“Because of the hard work of everyone on scene, the fire was declared under control at 01:45 a.m., 38 minutes after dispatch,” Donnelly said. 

Crews remained on scene until 03:17 a.m., performing “overhaul” to expose any hidden fire or embers and packing up their equipment. 

Members had to deal with gusty winds and icy conditions, the chief said. There were no injuries reported.

The scene was turned over to the Riverhead Town Fire Marshal’s office for investigation.

Donnelly thanked all the members of Wading River Fire Department and the mutual aid departments who assisted, as well as the Suffolk County Fire and Emergency Services coordinators and dispatchers and the Riverhead fire marshals, and Riverhead Police for their support, hard work, and dedication.