Painter alerts family to fire in Calverton home

A painter working at a Calverton home alerted a family living in the home to a fire in the basement Tuesday afternoon, allowing everyone in the residence to escape safely.

Paul Ray was upstairs painting in a bedroom with two other men when he said he saw smoke coming from the basement. He alerted family members in the home to the threat, and six fire departments responded to the the fire.

A woman who said she lived in the home said, “[The painter] ran in the room and I just grabbed the kids and got out.”

Wading River, Riverhead, Manorville, Rocky Point, Sound Beach and Ridge Fire Departments were all on scene. The fire was contained and knocked down within a half hour.

Joy Parson, a next door neighbor, said that she had woken from a nap to see smoke pouring from the home. “I said ‘Oh my god,” she said.

The cause remains under investigation by the Riverhead Town Fire Marshals.

Check back as more information becomes available.