Chief Rescues Dog from Burning Amagansett Home

Flames were shooting through the roof of an Amagansett house when the first firefighters arrived on Sunday afternoon, and thanks to a quick search, a chief rescued the only occupant: An old Golden Retriever named Cooper cowering in the corner of the home.

First Assistant Chief Allen Bennett Jr. was the first to arrive at 163 Old Stone Highway after 911 dispatchers received multiple calls from passersby and dispatched emergency responders at 4:09 p.m.

"I did a 360 of the house and I saw movement on the first floor," Bennett recalled on Sunday evening. "I popped the back door open and saw him scared in the corner in the kitchen. He was scared. He didn't know what was going on. He was happy to see somebody, I can tell you that."

Some smoke was filling the first floor of the two-and-a-half story house, but Bennett said most was contained to the upper levels at that point.

Cooper went outside with Bennett willingly, and the assistant chief handed the dog off to his wife, Suzanne Bennett, while they awaited the fire engines. There was no one else — on two or four legs — in the house.

Chief Dwayne Denton, who was also on scene with East Hampton Town police, said Cooper's owners — whose names were not immediately released — were appreciative that their dog had been rescued from the fire that ripped through their house at the end of the Fourth of July weekend.

About 75 to 100 firefighters and other emergency personnel responded, Bennett said.

They got the fire under control in about 25 minutes, Denton said. He immediately called in more tankers from the Springs and East Hampton fire departments, as well as East Hampton's Rapid Intervention team, which stand-by in case interior firefighters need to be rescued.

However, the intense heat — temperatures in Amagansett were around 80 degrees with 84 percent humidity when the fire broke out — required more firefighters to battle the fire, he said. Firemen from East Hampton's RIT team were quickly put to work, and Denton called for Sag Harbor Fire Department's RIT team for back-up.

"It was so hot out there," Denton said, adding that firefighters used one oxygen tank, instead of two, and then were sent to the ambulance squads for "firefighter rehabilitation," to cool down. The Ladies Auxiliary made sure firefighters had water.

Ultimately, two Amagansett firefighters, whose names were not released, were transported to Southampton Hospital and treated for dehydration, Denton said. They were released late Sunday night, Bennett said.

According to Denton, the second floor and attic collapsed, and he requested East Hampton's aerial ladder truck to attack the fire and find any hotspots from above.

The East Hampton Town fire marshal's office is investigating the cause.

A dog owner himself, Bennett said it was a great feeling to be able to save "the only living thing" at the house.

Just two years ago, he was among the firefighters who reported to a house fire on Fresh Pond Road, in which two dogs lost their lives. Investigators believed the dogs actually caused the fire when they accidentally turned the knob on a gas cooktop stove to get to a box of cupcakes that was left on top of the stove. The fire spread quickly before firefighters could find them. 

Meanwhile, Cooper's owners arrived back at their house to find their dog happily hanging out with Denton's daughter, Shayla Denton.

"He was a cool dog," Bennett said. "He was an old guy. He had gray hairs like me."