Cyril's Will Remain Open This Weekend; Judge Prohibits Propane Tank Use

Update, 4:30 p.m.: The Supreme Court judge hearing East Hampton Town's request to temporarily shut down Cyril's due to life-threatening electrical hazards has given the Amagansett business until Monday to correct the problems.

However, Judge Thomas F. Whelan adjourned the temporary restraining order request with some conditions, according to Patrick Gunn, a town attorney in charge of the code enforcement department.

"They cannot use the propane tank this weekend, starting now," Gunn said. "They represented through their electrician that they removed the ignition sources today."

Gunn said the town is "very pleased with the result," because its biggest concern was safety. "I didn't want to hurt this guy's income," he said, but there were reasonable concerns about a liquid propane tank being in close proximity to some unsafe wiring.

"It's all in their court now," he said.

The judge adjourned the TRO request until Monday at 2 p.m. If the issues are not resolved by then, the judge will sign the request, Gunn said.

Previously: East Hampton Town is taking very seriously some electrical hazards found during an inspection at Cyril's Fish House in Amagansett last week.

The town is seeking a temporary restraining in Supreme Court that would force Cyril's to close. Joe Prokop, a town attorney, is at the Riverhead court house Friday.

"A liquid propane tank in close proximity to some electrical hazards was found during an inspection last Thursday," said Patrick Gunn, a town attorney who heads up the code enforcement department. There are multiple ignition sources of bad wiring and an open junction box, he said.

He characterized the hazard as "explosive and life threatening in nature."

A temporary restraining order would close the roadside bar and restaurant until the issues are corrected, Gunn said. However, he would not comment on the proceedings as they were underway.

Reached at the restaurant on Friday, Cyril Fitzsimons, said, "They are going to close me down." He said he was waiting to speak to a company about the propane tank, which he said is the only thing he has to fix. "All I need to do is get a new tank in here today. We're very busy and they are trying to shut me down for the weekend."

"No one is looking to shut Cyril's down for good. We're just looking to protect people," Gunn said. "Certainly, we didn't think they'd be open until Memorial Day, but they are. We had to take some action. The board was concerned about Mother's Day weekend."

The inspection done last week was at the request of the defense attorney after an appearance in East Hampton Town Justice Court to answer existing violations. The building inspector and code enforcement officers responded, and a fire marshal responded later, Gunn said.

Tina Piette, an attorney for Cyril's, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gunn said the town board decided to take action after an executive session on Tuesday.