Mattituck fire consumes four stores, kills one
Firefighters at the scene of a fire on Main Road in Mattituck on Saturday, June 21, 2014. One person died in the blaze that apparently began in an apartment and destroyed four adjacent businesses, Suffolk authorities said. Credit: Stringer News / AJ Ryan
At least nine fire departments battled a blaze that raged overnight on Route 25 in Mattituck and killed one person as it consumed four stores, Suffolk authorities said.
Flames were seen at 12800 Main Road, near Love Lane, at 10:48 p.m. Friday and were still out of control shortly after 1:15 a.m., said a spokeswoman for the Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Department.
A civilian was killed in the fire and another person injured, she said. Details on the two victims were not immediately available Saturday morning as emergency responders struggled to put out the blaze.
Southold Town police Chief Martin Flatley said the fatal victim was a man who lived in the apartments behind the affected buildings, according to Southoldlocal.com.
The store where the fire first started appears to be Liberty Data Systems, which provides surveillance, entertainment and other technology systems for homes and businesses. Aerial and Google maps show a row of several stores next to the building and a small wooded area in the back.
Shortly before 1:40 a.m., a Mattituck fire dispatcher said the blaze was "far from over."
Suffolk police arson detectives were dispatched to the fire. They could not be reached for comment.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
