Fire Marshal Still Working To Determine Cause of North Sea Fire

Investigators are still trying to pin down the cause of a fire that ripped through the second floor of a building in North Sea on Saturday night, displacing three tenants. 

"It does not appear to be suspicious," Southampton Town Fire Marshal John Rankin said on Tuesday afternoon. "But there's no definite cause as of yet." 

The fire broke out in the rear apartment above G & C Knoebel Electric Corp. at 16 Mary's Lane on Saturday at about 10:30 p.m., bringing out five fire departments. 

Rankin said firefighters, led by the North Sea Fire Department, "did an excellent job holding the fire to the extent it did get to," he said.

The rear apartment was completely gutted. The two other apartments on the second floor sustained smoke and water damage, and are uninhabitable, Rankin said. 

The first floor sustained minimal water damage, according to North Sea Fire Chief William Rosko Jr. 

No injuries were reported. Only one tenant, who lived in the front apartment, was home when the fire broke out. She was alerted to the fire by a tenant in the building next door. 

The American Red Cross assisted two of the three family units displaced in the fire, according to Abigail Adam, a regional communications officer. While she could not disclose their names, she said their "immediate emergency needs were met including lodging, food and clothing." 

Roslyn Anderson, who live in the front apartment with her son — and whom Patch spoke to the day after the fire — and Barbara Thomas, who lived alone in the middle apartment — said that the Red Cross put them up for two night at the Enclave Inn in Bridgehampton.

Anderson was able to salvage some of her personal items, but Thomas, whose apartment was more severely damaged, lost everything. "I tried," she said when asked if she could save anything. "Everything is garbage." 

The ladies, both of whom are home healthcare aids, said they don't know what they are going to do after Tuesday night, their last night at Enclave Inn. "Everybody is looking to find somewhere for us to go," Thomas said. 

They were also given $120 for clothing and $75 for food, the ladies said.