Man Dies In Truck Fire On Hampton Bays Beach

As he was driving west on North Road, Hampton Bays resident William Scholl noticed a column of thick black smoke billowing into the air from near Peconic Bay at about noon on Saturday.Mr. Scholl pulled off North Road and onto Peconic Crescent, where he found a blue Chevrolet pickup truck parked on the bayside beach—totally engulfed in flames. Another man was already on the scene and had called 911, but neither arrived in time to help the man sitting inside the burning cabin.“I just wish I would have known someone was in there, and that I could have done something,” Mr. Scholl said. “But I know … that there was nothing I could do. Really, it was too hot and too engulfed—we were about 100 feet away and we could feel the heat.”Southampton Town Police are waiting on official confirmation from the Suffolk County medical examiner before releasing the name of the man found dead in the driver’s seat, Lieutenant Michael Zarro said. Police have been in contact with the family of the man believed to be the driver of the car.Lt. Zarro said it is unclear what caused the truck to ignite or why the man was unable to escape the vehicle. That too could be cleared up by the medical examiner’s report, which could take weeks to finalize.The Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad responded to the scene Saturday afternoon, as did the department’s Arson Squad, but the incident is not being treated as a criminal matter, Lt. Zarro said.The Town Police detective unit is the lead agency on the case, but Detective Sergeant Lisa Costa is out of the office this week and was not available for comment.Town Police initially reported that the man in the car was believed to be elderly, but they have not been able to confirm that. Lt. Zarro said the department is choosing not to release any more information about the incident until the medical examiner’s report is complete.Mr. Scholl said his wife works with the wife of the deceased man at Southampton Hospital, although he declined to identify the man to The Press. He said he believes the man was in his 60s.The truck, which was a short distance onto the beach just ahead of a narrow beach access road next to the Southampton Peconic Beach and Tennis Club, was buried up to its axle in sand, Mr. Scholl recalled, adding that a crowd of seven or eight people gathered around the truck before the flames were extinguished.Fire crews from the Hampton Bays and Southampton fire departments arrived shortly after getting the initial call at about 12:05 p.m.. Firefighters described the fire as “very intense.”Mr. Scholl said he had no idea anyone was in the truck at the time because the flames and smoke were so dense that he was unable to see into the vehicle.“The windows were already blowing out of the truck because of the heat, and the tires were popping, so there was no way of even getting near to check,” Mr. Scholl said.Anyone with information about the truck fire is asked to call Southampton Town Police detectives at (631) 702-2230.