Fire Destroys Portion Of Orient Home: 'We Will Get Through This'

ORIENT, NY — Peggy and Harry Marshall were on the Long Island Rail Road, heading to New York City for a day of Christmas shopping, when they got the call no one is ever prepared to receive: A neighbor told them that their Orient home was on fire.

"At first, I couldn't comprehend what she was saying to me," Peggy said. "She told me, 'You have to come back.'"

The couple had boarded the 12:11 p.m. train out of Greenport. "We'd only gotten as far as Mattituck," Peggy said, adding that she and her husband called Hometown Taxi and had the driver bring them back to Greenport, to get their car.

According to Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley, the fire, which broke out just after noon, is believed to have been electrical in nature, and did not gut the entire house.

But the section ravaged by flames was destroyed, Peggy said. "One side of the house is fairly demolished," she said. The downstairs bathroom and guest bedroom sustained a great deal of damage, Peggy said.

When they got to their home on Greenway East, Peggy said they found a crowd of caring friends and even a local business owner. "We have such wonderful neighbors," she said. "Everyone has been helping us out, offering us a place to stay." One handed her a key to their home, in case the couple needed refuge.

"It was very traumatic, but it was also heartwarming in a way, to see all my neighbors there," Peggy said.

The couple was staying in Greenport Sunday night at Harry's daughter's, she said.

"The Orient Fire Department was wonderful," Peggy said. "They covered the living room furniture with a tarp, and nothing in there was damaged. It's amazing. They did whatever they could."

Her voice reflecting the shock of the day, Peggy said, "Nothing like this has ever happened to us before."

However, she added, her sister, who lives in Breezy Point, was hit hard by Super Storm Sandy, and she touched base today to give tips on how to get through the experience and salvage what could be saved from the ashes.

"We lost things, but we weren't in the house — and I believe that's a blessing," Peggy said.

Another lucky twist of fate: The couple was supposed to leave Monday for New York, but left Sunday to give themselves an extra day of Christmas festivities in the city, she said —so they weren't inside when the fire broke out.

Also fortunate was the fact that her neighbor was home; she isn't at the house full-time "She just happened to be there — and she just opened up her doors to everyone and said, 'Here's my key.'"

The Marshalls bought their Orient home in 2004. "We looked at this house on Easter weekend. This was the fifth house we saw, and I got such a good vibe," said Peggy, originally from Brooklyn.

In the years since, they've become very close to their neighbors. "I've had people emailing me, asking if we needed a place to stay. It's a great community out here," Peggy said.

The couple, both retired, lives about three quarters of the time in Orient, and the rest in New York City.

Precious memories were saved, Peggy said.

"My husband came running out. He has a shadow box, with a photograph of my father in World War II," sitting on the burnt remains of a Nazi plane, she said; the box also contains all of her father's war medals. "The fire department saved that for him," she said.

Lost in the fire, she said, was her laptop, items including a TV, and possibly, other precious World War II photos.

When she arrived back at the house, Peggy saw all of her DVDs strewn across the lawn. "I told the police officer, 'I had the whole series of 'Arrested Development,'" she said. "I was just trying to keep it light."

Trying to find levity — and holding back the tears — in the face of what had happened was a reaction she hadn't expected, she said, adding that you don't know how you'll react when faced with a traumatic event.

Furniture on the lawn was so badly burned it was unrecognizable, Peggy said.

But lost possessions pale in light of all that remains: They are safe, and surrounded by the love and support of an entire North Fork community.

"It’s not a tragedy," Peggy said. "It’s do-able. Worse things have happened to people. We will get through this."

Patch photo courtesy Peggy Marshall.