Firefighters respond to 2 blazes Monday; 1 chick dies
Local firefighters responded to two fires within one hour of each other Monday morning, according to authorities.
No injuries to people were reported during either incident.
A wooden garage on a vacant property on Raynor Avenue in Riverhead was destroyed during the first fire, Riverhead Fire Department Chief Nick Luparella said.
Volunteers with the Riverhead Fire Department were on the scene about 9:30 a.m. and extinguished the blaze in about 30 minutes. The fire had spread to the surrounding grass and shrubbery before it was put out.
It is not clear what caused the fire or if anyone was on the property at the time it ignited, officials said.
Fire marshal Dave Andruszkiewicz said the fire is not being investigated as arson. He said it could have been started by squatters, as there was a mattress inside the garage.
“You can’t rule that out,” he said.
The property owner, John Troyan, has told authorities the damaged building will soon be demolished, Mr. Andruszkiewicz said.
Heavy black smoke could be seen from several blocks away.
A house on the property was also destroyed in a fire about three years ago, Mr. Luparella said.
One hour later, Jamesport firefighters responded to an accidental fire at a chicken coop on Church Lane in Jamesport in which one chicken had died. Mr. Andruszkiewicz said a heat lamp fell on a pile of wood chippings and set fire to the coop, which contained several chicks.
“We lost one little one,” Mr. Andruszkiewicz said.
