Two families displaced by Mattituck house fire

Firefighters from at least six North Fork fire departments battled a large structure fire in Mattituck that displaced two families Tuesday morning, authorities said.

Southold Police Chief Steve Grattan said three people who were inside the house at the time of the fire made it out safely. Those residents reported that a fourth person who was on the second floor of the home may have been trapped inside.

"There was a subject upstairs that they weren't sure had gotten out of the house," Grattan said. "We still do not have any confirmation on that."

Residents of the house told police 13 people from two families live in the building, although most of them had left for work or school before the fire broke out, Grattan said.

"We got a call from one of the occupants of the house around 9:45 that it was on fire," Grattan said. "Our officers were there rather quickly and the house hadn't been fully engulfed, but it was spreading rapidly."

The chief described the house, which is located west of Westphalia Avenue and next to an Amagansett Building Materials lumber yard, as a "complete and total loss."

Firefighters were able to prevent the spread of the fire from reaching the lumber yard, Grattan said. Firefighters could be seen spraying down on the charred remains of the house from a bucket raised high above it more than two hours after the fire was reported.

One of the three people who made it out of the house safely, a woman, was taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons, Grattan said.

The chief said police were awaiting the arrival of investigators from the Suffolk County Police Arson Squad. He said it is unclear how the fire started.

"It's safe to say it will be a crime scene for some time," Grattan said.

Check back for updates on this developing story.