Fire at Home Depot started in outdoor lawn furniture, appears to be non-criminal

A fire that appears to have started in some plastic lawn chairs sent black smoke billowing in the air outside the Home Depot on Route 58, and was extinguished relatively quickly by the Riverhead Fire Department Monday afternoon, according to department spokesman Bill Sanok. 

“The fire started in the deck chairs outside the building,” he said. “It started outside and went up the outside wall.”

He estimated that about 100 lawn chairs burned in the fire.

The chairs were outside the store in an area near the garden center, he said.

Between the fire department, the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance and police, close to 50 first responders were on scene, he said. 

“No one was injured in the fire,” he said.

Firefighters brought a hose inside the building and checked the roof to make sure the fire hadn’t spread, Mr. Sanok said.

“There was a fair amount of damage outside,” he said.

The Riverhead Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire. The Suffolk County Police Arson Squad also responded to investigate. The fire appears to be non-criminal and the investigation is ongoing, according to Riverhead Town police.

The store remained closed Monday.

A Home Depot spokesperson said the situation is still developing.

“The safety of our associates and customers is our number one priority,” the spokesperson said, adding that additional information was not yet available.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Riverhead police at 631-727-4500, ext. 312.