Crime & Safety

East Hampton Fire Department Responds to a "Puff-Back"

Fire officials remind homeowners to have their oil burners maintained regularly.

The East Hampton Fire Department were called out for a reported oil burner fire when the residence at 160 Buckskill Road in East Hampton filled with smoke on Monday morning at about 11:30 a.m.

Chief Ray Harden said from the scene that it was merely "a puff-back" from an oil burner that needed to be cleaned out. The call came over a structure fire, and though volunteers used tools to ensure there were no fires behind the walls near the burner, there were no flames.

The occupants of the home are renters who had just moved in on Sunday. Harden advised the renters to call to have the burner checked out and maintained. 

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The East Hampton Town Fire Marshal's office was not called to investigate, but Fire Marshal Thomas Baker said he recommends having oil burners inspected annually.

"Soot conditions" occur when furnaces are not burning properly. "There a number of reasons why you could create a puff-back," such as not getting enough oxygen to the burner or rodents damaging components of it. "They can happen in gas burners too, not just oil burners." 

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"Make sure you're carbon monoxide detectors in the home are working properly. They'll let you know if something's amiss with your furnace."

He recommends having furnaces, wood stoves, and fireplaces inspect at least once a year, usually before the colder months arrive. "The systems are set from over the summer, critters can get down the flute pipes, spiders make webs in the equipment, it falls into disrepair." Pool heaters, too, should be inspected once a season.


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