Resident at Greenport complex recalls frantic fire scene: ‘controlled chaos’
A resident at the Greenport apartment complex damaged by a serious fire Thursday — which sent one person to the hospital and displaced five others — described a scene of “controlled chaos” as he returned home to find firefighters battling the blaze.
He said he was about two blocks away from Driftwood Cove on Ninth Street, outside Greenport Village, when he realized something was wrong.
By the time he reached the sprawling co-op complex, fire hoses snaked across the roadway and emergency vehicles crowded the area.
“It was controlled chaos,” the resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said Friday. “I could see the flames. I saw the firefighters go into the interior and come out sooty and sweating.”
The extent of the damage became clearer as the three impacted apartments — which led to five people getting displaced — remained closed off with police tape Friday during a tour of the grounds by The Suffolk Times.
Unit B20, where the fire began, was destroyed inside. Unit B21 sustained smoke and water damage, while Unit B22 was in much better condition, according to Southold Police Chief Steve Grattan.
“All three units have been condemned pending an investigation,” Chief Grattan previously told The Suffolk Times.
Chief Grattan said all five displaced residents spent Thursday night at Townsend Manor Inn in Greenport.
Unit B22 should reopen within the next few days, unlike the other two, he added Friday.
The American Red Cross and Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management helped the residents find temporary housing.
The fire broke out around 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Unit B20, sending one person who was helped from the burning apartment to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
There was no update on the unidentified person’s condition.
Community members later took to social media to praise the response from the departments that helped bring the blaze under control.
Southold police and Greenport firefighters responded to the scene. Southold firefighters assisted Greenport, while East Marion firefighters provided standby coverage at Greenport’s firehouse.
“The outcome is not as bad as it could have been,” Greenport Fire Chief Wayne Miller said at the village board meeting Thursday evening.
