Rope Is Likely Culprit in Sagaponack Barn Fire

A that closed Montauk Highway in Sagaponack for three hours and completely destroyed a barn and its contents was caused by a recently fused rope that was left unattended, according to a fire investigator.

The fire was exacerbated by exploding oxygen and acetylene tanks and propane cylinders and hydraulic farm equipment that were stored in the barn, Southampton Town Fire Marshal John Rankin said. “We had reports that when the fire department pulled up, there were a number of explosions inside the building,” he said.

Rankin explained that Ken Schwenk had been working in his barn before the fire and melted the tips of polypropalene rope so they would not fray. “He said he had done that and walked out of the barn,” Rankin said. Schwenk later noticed heavy smoke billowing from the barn and saw flames through the window.

“Our investigation determined that the fire started up in the northwest corner of the building, which is where he was working,” Rankin said.

The highway was closed as tanker trucks delivered water to a portable reservoir to fight the fire, Rankin said. Firefighters were able to stop the spread of the fire to other buildings, but the barn and everything inside was consumed, he said, adding that tractors inside the barn and a truck parked next to it were totaled.