Riverhead firefighters put out fire at vacant Toys ‘R’ Us building; arson squad investigating

The Riverhead Fire Department responded to a fire at the vacant Toys ‘R’ Us building on Route 58 Monday morning.

Officials were notified at around 8:15 a.m. and fire responders found the fire was in the rear of the store, near the loading docks. The fire activated sprinklers in the building.

The fire was deemed suspicious and is under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Riverhead police and the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps also responded to the scene.

Riverhead police said due to the suspicious nature of the fire, Riverhead detectives were requested along with the Suffolk County Police Arson Squad and Riverhead Fire Marshall’s Office.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Riverhead police at 631-727-4500, ext. 328. All calls will be kept confidential.

The Toys ‘R’ Us location, which opened in the 1990s, has been vacant since mid-2018 after the company declared bankruptcy and closed all of its stores. Raymour & Flanigan furniture store was reported to being in the process of taking over the building last year.

Reporting by Thomas J. Lambui/LIHotShots