Fire Chief: Dining Hall Fire Likely Caused by Electrical Malfunction

An electrical malfunction was the likely cause of on Tuesday afternoon, according to a Wading River Fire Chief.

Chief Jim Evans said the preliminary investigation into the fire at the the Hickox Dining Hall at Camp Wauwepex showed the cause of the fire was "definitely not suspicious," though he said the exact cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation.

Evans said the first fire crews at the scene had to work quickly to cool a propane tank that was located just 25 feet from the structure. Firefighters were able to cool off the tank before it ignited, Evans said.

The structure was empty at the time of the fire, according to fire officials at the scene, though the building was used as recently as Sunday, according to Scout executive David Richardson. Evans said a firefighter at the scene suffered a minor shoulder injury while fighting the blaze and was taken to the hospital, but was quickly released.

The fire was first reported around 3:45 p.m. and was under control a few hours later after several local fire departments were called to the scene, including Wading River, Riverhead, Manorville, Ridge, Sound Beach and Rocky Point, as well as Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services.

Evans said the building has since been demolished for safety reasons.

"We had a bulldozer come in and take down the last couple of walls," he said. "God forbid someone gets in there and has a wall fall on them."

The Hickox Dining Hall was located within the Schiff Scout Reservation, on the south side near the intersection of Route 25A and Sound Avenue in the Long Island Pine Barrens. According to the Boy Scouts' website, the campsite surrounds 30-acre Deep Pond and has been owned by the Boy Scouts of America since 1926.

Officials from Boy Scouts of America could not be reached to discuss what would happen to the site of the fire.