Mattituck Starbucks evacuated after store fills with smoke
Roof repairs at the Starbucks store on Main Road in Mattituck caused an evacuation Saturday morning after workers feared there might be a fire in the kitchen.
Barista Kathleen Tergesera said she smelled something burning in the kitchen shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday. Next thing she knew the store began to fill with smoke.
The Mattituck fire department responded quickly and it was determined that the smoke, which was the result of tar being applied to the roof, was sucked into the store through an air conditioning unit.
Manager Donna Garvey asked customers to leave immediately after the smoke began to fill the store.
“The room just got very smokey,” Ms. Garvey said. “It smelled like rubber.”
Second assistant fire chief Vincent Tirelli said firefighters examined the roof and vented the building.
“There was pretty heavy smoke,” he said. “[But] there was no fire. It was a smoke condition.”
