Couple, Dog Escape From Raging Westhampton Beach House Fire

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — A couple and their dog were saved in a dramatic rescue as a fire ripped through their Westhampton Beach home Sunday morning, fire officials said.

According to the Westhampton Beach Fire Department, the fire broke out at about 11:35 a.m. at a home on E. Division Street.

Fire officials were initially called out for a smoke investigation in the area of Watersedge Court and Stevens Lane in Westhampton Beach; during his search, Chief Darryl Schunk discovered the working structure fire on E. Division Street.

Two young men, Marcus LeBrun — a graduate of the Westhampton Beach Fire Department’s juniors program — and Isaiah Ortiz, who were having lunch at the nearby village marina, had rushed to the house before the fire department’s arrival after they saw a great deal of smoke coming from the structure, fire officials said.

They were able to convince the couple living there, who were unaware of the fire, that they needed to evacuate immediately, which they did, after gathering up their dog, officials said.

Firefighters who arrived first discovered a fully involved, two story wood frame house, with a garage below, officials said.

It was immediately determined that the occupants had evacuated the home and Chief Schunk decided that with heavy smoke and flames, there was nothing to do but to fight the fire from the exterior, the fire department said. It took more than an hour before most of the flames were extinguished, the fire department added.

The remaining time on scene was taken up with overhaul, which entailed searching for and extinguishing any residual flames in the walls, officials said.

Village police officers arrived and also called the alarm in to 911. The Westhampton Beach firefighters were assisted at the scene by volunteers from East Moriches, Eastport, Quogue, and East Quogue, officials said. A crew from the Hampton Bays Fire Department stood by at the Westhampton Beach Fire Department's Sunset Avenue firehouse, officials said.

A Suffolk County Fire Rescue coordinator assisted, as did police officers from Westhampton Beach and Quogue Villages, the fire department said.

Ambulances from the East Moriches and the Westhampton War Memorial Ambulance were on scene, as was the Southampton Town fire marshal, officials said.

One firefighter and one occupant of the house were transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, officials said.