Crime & Safety

Sunlight Helped Ignite Fire in Law Office, Fire Marshal Says

Southampton Village fire marshal credits smoke detectors with minimizing damage.

A small fire in an attorney's office in Southampton Village last week started from magnified sunlight, the investigation revealed.

Southampton Village Fire Marshal Dean McNamara said in an email on Friday that, "The fire was started from magnified sunlight through a glass sphere paper weight which ignited adjacent papers on the same desk."

The smoldering papers caused the smoke detector in attorney Michael P. Malone's office to activate the building's fire alarm system, which notified the Southampton Fire Department on Sept. 25.

The chiefs were called to investigate the alarm in the law office above Corwin's Jewelers at 61 Main Street at 8:17 a.m., according to Second Assistant Chief Chris Brenner. When he and Chief Dennis Roy went up the stairs towards the office, they were met with smoke up half-way up. They exited the building to don their firefighting gear and call for firefighters. A general response alarm went out at 8:22 a.m.

"After the first engine arrived, firefighters made forceful entry and found a small fire on top of a desk," Brenner said last week. "They quickly extinguished it and were back in service within the hour."

There was no structural damage to the office, or the rest of the building, though there was some smoke damage. Firefighters used fans to clear smoke from the office.

The office was not occupied at the time, and no one was hurt.

McNamara said it is "Another great example of just how effective smoke detectors are in saving life and property."

In an email last week, Malone thanked the fire department for its "spectacular response time and professionalism. I am extremely grateful."


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