Fire Extinguished At Stop And Shop In East Hampton Village Wednesday

Customers and workers were evacuated from the Stop and Shop in East Hampton Village on Wednesday, April 27, after a fire broke out in the supermarket’s compressor room.Emergency crews from the East Hampton Fire Department responded to the scene at 67 Newtown Lane at approximately 3:45 p.m. to put out the fire in the room that houses the supermarket’s generator, said East Hampton Fire Department Chief Richard Osterberg Jr. The department was called after smoke was spotted in the back of the building next to the Reutershan parking lot.East Hampton Village Ambulance and the Amagansett Fire Department’s Rapid Intervention Team also responded to the scene, but no injuries were reported.“I don’t think anyone was in the room. We just started smelling smoke,” said Corey Hooks, a butcher who was working at the store at the time the fire broke out. “The store is empty. We’re just waiting for them to give us notice to go back in,” he said on Wednesday.Newtown Lane was closed at the intersection of Osborne Lane, where fire officials directed vehicles onto the side street.Although damage from the fire was contained to the generator room, Chief Osterberg said there was light smoke emission into the store and the Department of Agriculture and Markets was notified of possible food contamination.PSEG was initially notified of the fire, but were later called off after it was determined that the power didn’t need to be shut off.Chief Osterberg said the fire was mostly contained by the sprinkler system that was activated by the smoke.Stop and Shop reopened at approximately 6:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, a store representative confirmed.The cause of the fire is currently being investigated by the East Hampton Village Fire Marshal.