Former 'Art Barn' Property In Hamptons Gutted By Fire

QUIOGUE, NY — A former "art barn" in Quiogue burned to the ground Thursday in a fierce blaze, officials said.

No one was injured in the fire, the fire department said.

According to the Westhampton Beach Fire Department, the call came in about 7:52 a.m. regarding a smoke investigation in the Main Street area of Quiogue.

While responding to the call, Second Assistant Chief Jeff Wachenfeld was informed by two of his officers that they were seeing a thick plume of smoke south of Franklin Avenue, the WHBFD said.

Chief Wachenfeld located the source — a fully involved structure on Main Street. The first engine connected a hose to a hydrant on Main Street and ran the five-inch supply line about 700 feet to the scene, officials said.

The volunteers soon had a number of hoses on the fire, which had spread to the entire second floor, the fire department said.

The building, which had previously been used to store the well-renowned art collection of previous owner Jerome Stern, was under renovation by the new owner of the property and was unoccupied at the time, the fire department said.

The second Westhampton Beach engine to arrive ran another five-inch supply line to the scene, officials said. The two engines were able to supply water to ladder trucks from Westhampton Beach and the East Moriches Fire Department.

Both of those trucks poured "copious amounts of water" on the second floor and the majority of the fire was extinguished in about 15 minutes, officials said.

The remainder of the time at the scene was spent dousing residual pockets of fire, officials said.

The Westhampton Beach Fire Department responded with three engines, a tower truck, and a rescue truck. The fire police responded with their vehicle, which was used to shut down eastbound traffic on Main Street.

Four East End Departments provided mutual aid, inluding the East Moriches, Eastport, Quogue, and East Quogue Fire Departments. The Hampton Bays Fire Department sent a standby crew to the Westhampton Beach Sunset Avenue firehouse.

A crew from the Westhampton War Memorial Ambulance was also at the scene. Officers from the Southampton, Quogue, and Westhampton Beach police departments assisted with traffic control. The investigation eventually turned over to the Southampton Town fire marshal.