A family on Williams Way in Calverton lost their home and a kitten to a fire in the middle of the night.
The fire seems to have started on a deck at the back of the house, Riverhead Fire Department First Assistant Chief Kevin Brooks said this morning. The fire is under investigation and no cause has yet been officially determined, Riverhead Fire Marshal Craig Zitek sai.
Homeowners Michael and Amy Runnalls said they were awakened by the fire at about 3 a.m.
“Our bedroom was lit up,” Amy Runnalls said. They got their children and got out of the house with little more than the clothes on their back.
“It’s ruined,” Michael Runnalls said. “But we’re all right.”
A kitten the couple had rescued perished in the blaze, he said.
“When the fire lifted up into the rear soffit and and got into the attic, it really took off,” Brooks said.
Riverhead FD responded with four engines and a ladder truck, he said. Wading River Fire Department responded with an engine and Flanders with a rapid intervention team, he said. Jamesport Fire Department was called to stand by at Riverhead headquarters.
Peter Blasl contributed reporting.
Editor’s note: A previously published version of this article had a video appended to it in error. The article incorrectly stated the video was taken at the fire on Williams Way. In fact, it was a video of a fire at a different location on a different date. RiverheadLOCAL regrets the error.
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