2 People, Cat, Saved In Raging Southold House Fire

SOUTHOLD, NY — A woman and her brother, as well as her cat, were saved from a fire that ripped through a home in Southold Thursday night.

According to Southold Fire Department Chief Craig Goldsmith, a Southold Town police officer was driving down Hortons Lane and noticed the flames. "He went in and got her out of the house," Goldsmith said.

The fire — the fire department was called at 10:05 p.m. — started on the front porch; an investigation is underway but the fire is not believed to be suspicious, Goldsmith said.

(Courtesy Maryann Palumbo)

Although the porch and front rooms on both the first and second floors sustained damage, the home is still standing and can be repaired, Goldsmith said. "A major reason why a lot of it was saved was because the door inside the front room was closed. If you close your doors at night it makes a big difference; this fire was contained to the front of the structure on the first and second floors. That closed door helped tremendously," he said.

No injuries were reported, he added. "My firefighters did an unbelievable job — and got the fire knocked down quickly," he said.

(Courtesy Maryann Palumbo)

The ending could have been tragic.

"If it had been later at night and not discovered, this would have been very bad. It's an older house, built in the early 1900s, with old wood," he said, adding that neighbors to the left of the house were asked to come outside briefly while the fire raged in case the blaze spread.

(Lisa Finn)

Firefighters were able to rescue the homeowner's cat, who was in a back room, Goldsmith said.

Neighbors at the scene told Patch that they'd heard "popping sounds," and thought at first there were shots fired —but the sound came from breaking windows and the burning building.

Southold, Cutchogue and Greenport Fire Departments, as well as Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services were at the scene.

(Lisa Finn)