A fire broke out on the roof of the Oak Tree Dairy on Elwood Road around 9 a.m. Wednesday, said Greenlawn Fire Chief Scott Dalrymple.
The small fire occurred in a roughly 10-by-10 foot area in the corner of the roof and was put out in under an hour. No one was hurt.
Fire officials could not say what caused the fire and said that the arson squad would be investigating. Employees standing outside the building would not comment.
Greenlawn, Commack, East Northport, and Dix Hills fire departments responded to the scene. Elwood Road was closed from Jan Place to Hammond beginning at 9:10 a.m. Traffic should be open along the road as of 10:57 a.m., according to Suffolk County Police.
The Oak Tree Dairy recently accepted an offer from developer Engel Burman to purchase the property and build a 444-unit senior housing development. Plans are currently under review with the Town Planning Board and have sparked debate among community members, most recently resulting in a large outpouring at Town Hall on Dec. 18.
It is not known if the fire will affect plans for the development. Patch will continue to follow this story.
If it was structural, and if it began at 3 AM, well that would be different. Therefore, I just consider it a bizarre coincidence. Let the arson squad do their professional best, and let them be the judge.
We need to stay put with what we have LI was a farming local Let us keep a little open space