A Flanders couple and their dog escaped safely from an early-morning house fire Sunday that caused major damage to a two-car garage but did not spread into the main living area of the home, Flanders Fire Chief Nick vanVliet said.
The fire on East Street was reported at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, vanVliet said.
Most of the fire damage was contained to the home’s attached two-car garage, with some extension into a storage room above it, vanVliet said. The living area of the house appeared to have sustained smoke damage, but was spared fire damage, he said.
About 18 to 20 Flanders firefighters responded to the scene, vanVliet said, along with mutual aid from the Riverhead Fire Department, which provided a crew and a ladder truck, and Hampton Bays Fire Department, which responded with a rapid intervention team. Westhampton Beach Fire Department stood by at Flanders headquarters to cover the district while Flanders firefighters were fighting the fire on East Street.
The fire came during an extremely busy stretch for the Flanders department, which was handling storm-related calls after a powerful thunderstorm swept through the area Saturday night. , vanVliet said the house fire was the department’s 13th alarm in a span of just a few hours.
The department’s initial alarm had been for an electrical hazard at Priscilla Avenue and Short Avenue, Van Vliet said. Firefighters also had to contend with trees down across the driveway at the firehouse, he said.
“We actually had to walk up to get tools and cut up trees just to get into the firehouse,” , vanVliet said.
A Suffolk County fire coordinator, a Southampton Town fire coordinator, Southampton Town fire marshals and Ryan Murphy of Southampton Town Emergency Management also responded to the East Street fire, vanVliet said.
Firefighters returned to the house later Sunday morning to check on a few hot spots, the chief said. Everything appeared to be safe, he said.
The Southampton Town fire marshal’s office is investigating.
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