Officials: Fire engulfs, damages Centereach building

Middle Country Road in Centereach was closed in both directions for about five hours Thursday morning, as fire engulfed and badly damaged a commercial building, officials said.

The road was shut shortly after 7 a.m. in the area of Wood Road, police said, and reopened just after noon.

The blaze broke out at 2611 Middle Country Road, a Brookhaven spokesman said.

“The origin and cause investigation is ongoing jointly with the Brookhaven Town Fire Marshal and Suffolk County Police Arson Squad,” he said.

“No determination has been made at this time,” he added.

The Brookhaven spokesman said fire marshals and the arson squad were investigating. “No determination has been made yet,” he said.

Images from the scene showed two tower ladders pouring jets of water onto the one-story building, which appeared to be gutted by the flames.

The fire was in a commercial structure, and first responders from Centereach, Nesconset, Stony Brook and Selden were at the scene, fire officials said.

A spokesman for the Town of Brookhaven said the fire marshal was on the scene, and that the building had partially collapsed.