Historic Long Island House Destroyed In Fire

CORAM, NY — A late night blaze tore through a historic Long Island home on Sunday.

The fire broke out in a vacant home at 325 Middle Country Rd. in Coram that is referred to as the Norton House at about 11:30 p.m., Suffolk police said. The structure “became fully engulfed and collapsed during the fire,” police said, adding that no injuries were reported.

The house's original owner is said to have been Capt. Nathaniel Norton, who came from Salem, Massachusetts, before 1670, according to the Longwood School District's website.

His grandfather, who was also named Nathaniel, built the first meeting house in Setauket in 1671, according to Longwood's website. Nathaniel Norton, who was born in Coram in the year 1743, was a soldier during the French and Indian War, as well as a captain during the American Revolution, the website states.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by Arson Section detectives, police said.

The fire was one of four over three days that kept the Coram Fire Department busy, according to a post on the department’s Facebook. The “stubborn fire” kept firefighters on the scene for over five hours, the post read.