2nd Fire Breaks Out In Less Than 5 Months At Historic Riverhead Farm: Police

RIVERHEAD, NY — A second fire in less than five month broke out at a farm in Riverhead Monday, police said.

According to Riverhead Town police, the fire ignited at Wells Farm, located on Sound Avenue in Riverhead.

At about 1:11 p.m. the Riverhead Police Department said they responded to a structure fire of a barn located at 5048 Sound Avenue, at Wells Farm. Upon arrival, responding police personnel and firefighters observed an engulfed barn, police said.

They removed animals from the barn, including chickens, police said.

The Riverhead Fire Department had the fire under control in about two hours, police said.

Assisting agencies included the Manorville, Southold, Mattituck, Jamesport, Westhampton, and Flanders Fire Departments, the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's spill response team, the NYS DEC police, and the Riverhead Town fire marshal, police said.

The fire in under investigation by the Riverhead Town fire marshal and is considered non-suspicious at this time, police said.

Anyone that may have witnessed the start of the fire or has any further information is asked to contact the Riverhead Police Department at 631-727-4500. All calls will be kept confidential.

It's the second fire on the property in less than five months: In November, a massive fire ripped through a barn on thei property belonging to the longtime Riverhead farming family.

A GoFundMe page, "Help Rebuild Wells Farm After Devastating Fire," was created by a neighbor at the time, owner Eric Wells said.

"On the evening hours of Wednesday, November 12, the Wells family of Wells Farm, operating since 1661, was devastated by a fire erupting within its main barn," the page said in November.

"The fire quickly spread to surrounding structures and decimated the operational equipment needed to sustain the work operations," the page continued. "Thankfully the courageous work of first responders and volunteers enabled some animals to exit in time to avoid any further injury. This fire has devastated the family and we are asking for any help or assistance at this time. On behalf of the family Todd, Eric and Laura, we thank you very much for the overwhelming support and love."

The Wells Farm has been family owned and operated since 1661, the page said.

Speaking with Patch in November, Eric Wells said despite the family's rich farming legacy in Riverhead, the future remained uncertain.

In November, Wells said there was one building on the property that friends had offered to "patch up" so part of that structure could be used to shelter the animals as the weather grew colder.

"Right now we're just trying to repurpose some of our other buildings so we can continue doing what we do," he said.

One building on the property is leased to another business, and it cannot be used currently, he said.

Despite the anguish and worry over the future, Wells said a caring community surrounded his family with love and support during the darkest of times.

"The love of the community is certainly an inspiration," he said. "It does make us feel good about where we're living. It's one of the things we're happy about — to know that there are still so many local people that really do care about us."

The people who've reached out with open hearts to help, Wells said, "have been a great support."

He added, in November: "I can’t stress enough how thankful we are to everyone for supporting us," Well said. "Even some of the firefighters that were there came back and offered their condolences; some of them their wives even made cookies. People have gone above and beyond what they need to do in support of us and there aren't enough words to really describe just how amazing people can be."

His family, he said, has been stressed over the tragedy; his grandmother, he said, "is very emotional. She just hopes that we can recuperate."

Hours after the fire ripped through the barn in November, owners spoke about the horrifying experience.

"We are devastated," Laura Wells told Patch at the time.