Vacant Wyandanch building damaged by fire

The Suffolk County police arson squad is investigating a fire early Sunday morning in a vacant Wyandanch building owned by the Town of Babylon, town and police officials said.

The building, at 1563 Straight Path, caught fire in the early morning hours, town spokesman Kevin Bonner said. About half the building was damaged in the blaze and had to be torn down, Bonner said.

The structure, which once housed a beer distributor, has long been vacant, Bonner said. It was purchased by the town as part of the Wyandanch Rising revitalization efforts, he said.

Bonner called the fire "unfortunate," but said it wasn't a setback for the town's plans.

"We purchased it with the property in mind, not the building," he said. "It would have been demolished sometime in the future."

There was no word Sunday as to what caused the fire, but Bonner and Suffolk County police said that the arson squad was investigating.