UPDATE – Oct. 15, 12:30 p.m. A relative of the homeowner confirmed that the house was occupied by college students, and said the fire was caused by a heater that was left plugged in after one of the residents left for a trip. One of the residents' pets, a cat, died in the fire, while another one escaped.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Setauket firefighters on Saturday contained a fire in a single-story home on Old Town Road, preventing the flames from gutting the house.
The fire at 369 Old Town Rd. was reported at 8:32 p.m. It was under control within ten minutes, according to Chief Dennis Mirante. Crews remained on site to ensure the fire was completely out until 10:24 p.m.
One resident was uninjured and three others were not home; according to Mirante, the occupants may have been college students. He said the one occupant who was at home ran outside and began flagging down motorists to call for help. Additionally, Mirante said, a former chief who lived nearby responded and called in the report via radio.
Fire crews contained the fire to a rear room in the house.
"Essentially it was another save," Mirante said. "We prevented the whole house from burning up."
The Terryville Fire Department provided rapid intervention and the Port Jefferson Fire Department stood by at Setauket's Station 1.
