Fire destroys Water Mill mansion

An early morning fire destroyed a summer home in a secluded area of Water Mill Friday, fire officials told Newsday.

Suffolk County fire officials said a 911 call received at 7:07 a.m. reported the blaze on Tanager Lane.

North Sea Fire Department Chief Rocky Ambrose said he was one of the first people at the house and that it was almost completely destroyed when he arrived.

"There wasn't much left when I got there," Ambrose said. "It was totally involved."

An image available on Google Earth shows a huge home with a massive pool. Ambrose said the pool was all that remained.

The home was unoccupied, officials said.

More than 60 volunteers from North Sea, Southampton, Sag Harbor, Hampton Bays and Bridgehampton, responded to the call, Ambrose said. He said firefighters' goal became to keep the fire from spreading to surrounding brush in the heavily wooded area.

Crews from Southampton Volunteer Ambulance and Southampton Community Ambulance, as well as Southampton Town Police, also responded. Police and fire officials told Newsday no one was injured.

Fire officials said they also put out a small brush fire in the area. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Ambrose told Newsday Southampton Town fire marshals and arson investigators were attempting to determine the cause of the blaze.

"There wasn't much we could save," Ambrose said. "Just the foundation -- and even that was cracked. There was pretty much nothing left."