A fast-moving blaze destroyed a Calverton house this afternoon.
The 1:30 p.m. fire started on the front porch of the wood-frame Cape Cod at 72 Youngs Avenue and quickly moved into the soffit, Riverhead Fire Chief Joe Raynor said. It spread into the attic and once in the attic it was hard to stop, Raynor said.
Fire gutted the front of the house and destroyed much of the first and second floors. The family was able to exit the burning home safely without injury, Raynor said.
“From what I’m told, my room is the only one that wasn’t destroyed,” said Jesse Trafford, 23, son of one of the owners, Brian Trafford.
“Firefighters did a great job getting knocking it down and putting it out,” the chief said of the blaze. “It was ripping through the attic quickly when they arrived.”
Riverhead FD responded with four pumpers, a ladder truck, fire police patrol and more than 60 firefighters, Raynor said. A rapid intervention team from Flanders Fire Department also responded. Jamesport Fire Department responded to Riverhead’s headquarters.
The Riverhead Town fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
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