Police

Bathroom fire spread to attic of Doctor’s Path apartment building

PAUL SQUIRE PHOTO | Residents of the apartment complex look on as fire officials and police investigate an attic fire Wednesday afternoon.

Riverhead firefighters put out an apartment fire that spread from a bathroom into the attic of an apartment building on Doctor’s Path Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Firefighters received the call about the fire around 2 p.m., after a relative of the tenant discovered smoke pouring out of the roof vents, the tenant said. The tenant, who did not give her name, said she was working at East End Cardiology when she heard about the fire. No one was in the apartment when the fire started, she said.

The fire began in the bathroom, and spread into the attic of the building, which houses several apartments, said Riverhead Fire Chief Anthony White. Pale smoke could be seen blowing out of the vents near the roof as firefighters doused the attic.

The cause of the fire had not officially been determined, though the tenant and authorities said the fire appears to have been started when the ceiling fan in the bathroom caught fire and ignited the insulation above. No one was injured in the incident.

The Riverhead Fire Marshall arrived on the scene to investigate later in the afternoon. It was not immediately clear if the tenant would be able to return to her apartment.