Crime & Safety
Man Injured, Home Gutted In New Year's Day Blaze
A total of 80 firefighters battled the blaze.
New Year's Day turned tragic for three Riverhead residents whose home went up in flames, gutting the residence and injuring one man.
According to Bill Sanok, spokesperson for the Riverhead Fire Department, a call came in just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday about a fire at a private two story home on Riverside Drive.
The fire took about 90 minutes to extinguish, Sanok said, with most of the flames out by 1 p.m.
Sanok said the fire seems to have started at the rear of the building, outside, by an exterior wall, and may have been caused by ashes.
Those living in the home were renters, he said.
One reident was injured while trying to put out the fire, Sanok said. He was taken by Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance to Peconic Bay Medical Center; Wading River and Mattituck Ambulance EMTs were also on standby.
The man sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was released shortly, Sanok said.
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