Former duck farm storage barn destroyed in late night fire off Hubbard Avenue

The Riverhead Fire Department responded to a fully engulfed barn fire Wednesday night.

The concrete block building that had once been used as part of a duck farm was located in a wooded area off Hubbard Avenue, according to fire department spokesperson Bill Sanok. The building was located about 100 feet from the garage of a nearby home. The nearby homes did not sustain any damage and no injuries were reported.

The fire department was notified just before 10:30 p.m. and Mr. Sanok it was a challenge for firefighters at first to locate the fire and determine exactly what type of structure they were dealing with. And the building was overgrown around it, he said.

Flames were shooting through the roof of the building as firefighters arrived and the roof ultimately collapsed, Mr. Sanok said.

He described it as a “surround and drown” effort for the firefighters to extinguish the flames. He said firefighters had responded prepared for an interior attack with air packs, but those weren’t needed.

Mr. Sanok said he heard the barn had antique vehicles and tractors inside it along with some other equipment.

About 60 firefighters responded to the scene and the Flanders Fire Department was on standby. Riverhead Town police and the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps both responded as well. The section of Hubbard Avenue near the fire was closed off to traffic during the response.

Firefighters extended a long hose from a fire hydrant on Hubbard Avenue down to where the barn was located, a distance of about two football fields.

Mr. Sanok said it was likely one of the longest distances the department has had to use from a fire hydrant in a long time.

“There wasn’t any problem getting the water there once they laid the hose down,” he said.

Firefighters were on scene for about 3 1/2 hours.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Riverhead Town fire marshal’s office.