Hampton Bays Fire Leaves 24 Homeless: 'Everything Was Destroyed'

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — A blaze at a former motel in Hampton Bays Friday left 24 people homeless, Southampton Town officials said.

According to officials, the fire broke out about 4 p.m. at the motel located at 317 East Montauk Highway; the 8-room motel was "fully engulfed" in flames.

No one was hurt in the fire, officials said.

Southampton Town Public Safety and Emergency Management Administrator Ryan Murphy said after the blaze, 24 people are being provided with assistance by the American Red Cross.

Reportedly once known as the Sea View Motel, the property is still before the town's justice court for violations cited by the town, Murphy said.

The investigation is ongoing as to the cause of the fire, although, according to a resident, it may have started on the first floor due to cooking, Murphy said.

The families living in the structure were left with nothing after the fire ripped through the building.

A GoFundMe page, Help The Gonzalez Family Rebuild After House Fire, was created by Amber Nicole of Hampton Bays to support Jennifer Gonzalez, 22, her mother, and her two younger sisters, 12 and 14, who lost all of their possessions and possibly, four of their six cats, who are still missing, in the blaze.

Jennifer and her family "lost everything when their home went on fire April 1," she wrote. "With only their memories and the clothes they wore that day, this family of four is looking to rebuild their lives."

The funds will be used for financial assistance — the family is now living in a motel — and to help with finding a new home. Also needed are all the items lost, that make up a life, including kitchen utensils, and furniture.

"They are currently looking for an affordable rental in Hampton Bays where the two youngest girls are going to school," Amber said. "Any donation would be greatly appreciated."

The fire was fierce and, according to reports, rekindled just after midnight, when firefighters were back on the scene.

Describing the fire, Jennifer said she was at work at the Southampton Youth Services facility when her little sister called.

"She was crying, screaming that the house was on fire and that our cats were inside, and weren't coming out," she said.

Jennifer explained that she had to leave work. "I told my director, 'My house is burning,'" she said.

Racing to the house, Jennifer said when she arrived, she saw the billowing, thick black smoke. "Everything was really, really bad. There was nothing left. Nothing was saved. Everything was destroyed. My mom and my little sister were crying."

Her family was left with nothing, she said, and they are wracked with fear for the four cats still missing.

"Our cats, when they get scared, they hide under my bed, or on top of the cabinets," she said.

One cat, Oreo, was saved, Jennifer said, when an EMT put an oxygen mask over its face. "He got a bit of oxygen and started meowing," she said.

Her family is devastated, Jennifer said.

Her mother had been napping when the fire broke out; a neighbor came banging on the door, telling them to get out. Her mother, who recently had eye surgery, saw the black smoke and rushed to get her daughter out safely.

"It's been really hard," Jennifer said. "All of our possessions are gone."

But, she said, everyone at SYS, as well as members of school staff and neighbors, have been supportive, reaching out to help. "This is such a great community," she said.

Jennifer is thankful that her family survived; many of the other residents weren't home at the time the fire broke out.

"I'm really, really grateful that our neighbors came knocking on my mom's door, helping each other to get out. It could have been so much worse," she said.

Her family's main challenge, she said, is trying to find a rental on the East End, where the dearth of affordable housing is at a crisis point.

Right now, Jennifer said, the focus is on just picking up the pieces of their lives. "Honestly, I still find it hard to believe that it actually happened. It's hard to accept. And now, moving from place to place to sleep, it's a lot."

Anyone with possible housing solutions is asked to email Jennifer Gonzalez at jennxgonzalez@aol.com.

To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.

The Hampton Bays Fire Department was at the scene; the Southampton Fire Department sent units for mutual aid. The Flanders Fire Department was standing by at the Hampton Bays Fire Department headquarters.

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