North Fork Artist's Studio Ravaged By Fire; Friends Rally To Help

SOUTHOLD, NY — A North Fork artist was devastated last Saturday when almost two decades' worth of work went up in flames.

According to a GoFundMe created by Tracey Combs, "Michael Combs Studio Fire," the blaze broke out at 8 a.m. According to Southold Town Police, a passing motorist saw the smoke coming from a storage building located on the south side of Hummel Ave. Southold Fire Department was called and responded; the fire was quickly extinguished without any further incident or injury, police said.

But the devastation was unthinkable for Combs, whose sculpture studio of 18 years was completely destroyed in a fire. Fortunately, no one was hurt and thanks to the efforts of the Southold Fire Department the structure was saved, the GoFundMe page said.

"Although this fire started in a neighboring unit, the most extensive damage occurred in Michael’s studio. One of the most painful aspects of this experience is that Michael recently completed a new body of work for a show that he was planning," Combs wrote. "Of those sculptures, nine were completely destroyed or damaged beyond repair. This is well over a year’s worth of labor. We were completely unprepared for a loss of this nature. As for the question of insurance, several attempts were made but finding policies that cover art is not as easy as one might think."

As a result, the page said, the contents of the studio were not insured.

"Unfortunately, this is too much for us to bear on our own. For these reasons we are asking for help so that Michael can rebuild. Michael is deeply grateful for the community outreach during this difficult process. Many have asked how they can help, here is one way. Anything you can do to help him rebuild the studio would be appreciated enormously," the page said.