Crime & Safety
Renovation Leads To House Fire
A screw on a newly installed HVAC system pierced an electrical wire, causing a fire at the East Hampton house, investigators say.
Fire investigators believe the blaze that broke out at an East Hampton house on Friday night started with a single screw.
East Hampton Town Chief Fire Marshal David (Buzzy) Browne said the house at 74 Bow Oarsman Road, a two-story saltbox house at the intersection of Tub Oarsman Road, was under interior renovation. All of the Sheetrock and insulation had been removed.
"There was a newly installed HVAC system. We found a screw that had pierced an electrical wire in the ceiling causing an arc or short circuit," Browne said. "With no Sheetrock, the fire spread quickly through the roof."
The incident appears to be accidental, he said.
No one was living in the house.
The fire ripped through about a quarter of the roof, Browne said. Most of the fire damage was to the second floor, but there was some water damage below that. "The house was mostly empty due to renovation," he said.
The East Hampton Fire Department was called at about 10:15 p.m. on Friday night, and the Amagansett Fire Department responded with its Rapid Intervention Team, as well.
A neighbor said firefighters responded quickly to the blaze, just as flames burst through the roof.
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