Raging Fire Rips Through Basket Shop

CENTER MORICHES, NY — Flames swept through an East Moriches shop early Thursday, fire officials said.

According to the Center Moriches Fire Department, at 2:10 a.m., East Moriches firefighters were notified about an automatic fire alarm going off at 94 Montauk Highway in East Moriches. While responding to the automatic alarm, one of the East Moriches fire chiefs came upon a building fire at the Big Little Basket Shop, located at 227 Montauk Highway off County Road 51, officials said.

East Moriches firefighters were met with heavy smoke and fire coming from the front of the building; while firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, additional resources were requested from the surrounding fire departments, officials said.

Center Moriches firefighters responded to the scene with a tower ladder and assisted in extinguishing the fire and in overhaul operations, officials said.

It took firefighters 90 minutes to bring the fire under control, officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by Brookhaven Town Fire Marshals office and the Suffolk County Police Department's arson squad.