Island firefighters respond to Sag Harbor blaze
A team of Shelter Island firefighters led by First Assistant Chief Anthony Reiter responded to a major blaze in Sag Harbor early this morning that destroyed the historic movie theater and spread to several storefronts along Main Street.
At the request of the Sag Harbor Fire Department, seven Island firefighters were dispatched with a ladder truck, according to Chief Greg Sulahian, to aid the Sag Harbor Fire Department and several other East end departments.
Published reports said the fire broke out just before 6:15 a.m. at the Sag Town coffee shop adjacent to the theater. High winds quickly spread the blaze to other structures. The theater collapsed and the RJD Gallery is reported to have lost all of its art work.
Besides the Island firefighters, Sag Harbor called in departments from East Hampton, Southampton, Hampton Bays, East Quogue, and Flanders, the reports said.
While ambulances also responded, at this point there has been no report of injuries.
Neighbors reported to Newsday that the streets were coated with ice and there was ice hanging from firefighters as they fought the blaze in sub-freezing temperatures while smoke hung in the air over the downtown area.
