Fire damages storage building behind Hauppauge home, officials say

Officials were investigating the cause of a Sunday morning fire that heavily damaged an outbuilding of a Hauppauge home that allegedly had been taken over by a squatter.

Hauppauge Fire Department Chief Christopher Crean said the cause of the fire appeared to be suspicious. Suffolk County arson investigators and the Town of Islip fire marshals are investigating.

Around 8 a.m. Sunday, Hauppauge firefighters arrived at the Townline Road home to find a storage structure behind the single-family home engulfed in flames. Firefighters brought the blaze under control within an hour.

The main home was not damaged by the fire, Crean said. Officials closed Townline Road between Terry and Mayfair roads as firefighters worked.

"There appears to be a squatter on the property," Crean said, who added that person had occupied the main home. One firefighter sustained minor injuries and was treated on the scene, he said.

Police have not made any arrests.