Firefighter Extinguishes Fire Related to Christmas Lights at East Hampton Village Hall on Sunday Night

A short in an electrical cord for Christmas lights caused a fire in the basement of the historic  building on Sunday night, according to  Chief Ray Harden.

Harden said Kenny Cullum, a volunteer firefighter with the department who also happens to be the East Hampton Village fire marshal, quickly extinguished the fire, which Village Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach, Jr. said could have been a lot worse.

As the fire department wrapped up around 10:30 p.m., Rickenbach said, "Fortunately the alarm signaled there was trouble."

The call to the fire department initiated as a chief's investigation for an automatic fire alarm at 9:23 p.m. When they arrived, the call was put over as a fire, and dozens of volunteers responded with the engine trucks.

"There was a coil of wire for the Christmas lights that shorted out somehow. And, there was some plastic columns down here that actually caught . . . on fire," Harden said as he showed the charred wire on the basement floor. 

The fire was contained in a small area of the basement, but smoke emanated through the building. The fire department ventilated the building to push it out, though there was still a strong smell of an electrical fire. 

Power was turned off initially as firefighters assessed the issue. According to chatter on the radio, the department used a thermal imaging camera to make sure there wasn't any fire behind the walls.

The mayor said, "We just got a little bit of smoke in the building. We're very lucky." There appeared to be no structural damage, and village hall is expected to be open on Monday morning.

Of any damage to the electrical system, Rickenbach said, "I think it's too early assess. It could of been a hell of a lot worse." The fire chief concurred.

The building was built before the American Revolution and once belonged to Presbyterian Reverend Lyman Beecher, the father of Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. The original timber beams are exposed throughout, but it has been renovated so that it is a functional and professional government office.

First Assistant Chief Thomas Bono said, "I know we had a lot of electrical telephone poles arcing tonight. I don't know if that's part of it or not." The East Hampton, Amagansett, Springs, Montauk, and Sag Harbor Fire Departments responded to a half a dozen or so calls of arcing wires in the rain on Sunday afternoon and evening.

The  and  also responded to the call.