Beginning Monday night, the members of the Cutchogue Fire Department staffed the firehouse throughout the winter storm to ensure a timely response to any emergency.

Over the course of the storm which blanketed the North Fork with over 2 feet of snow, CFD Volunteers responded to 6 emergencies.

On Tuesday afternoon, as the snow finally slowed, and everyone began started to dig themselves out, Cutchogue Firefighters were called out to assist the Southold Fire Department at the scene of a working house fire on State Route 25 in Peconic.

Just before 2:00 p.m. Police and Firefighters arrived on scene to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the attic area of a two story house.

Shortly after SFD's arrival, the Cutchogue FD was requested to assist at the scene with a Rapid Intervention Team (R.I.T.) in the event of any firefighter emergencies. The crew made the response aboard Heavy Rescue truck 8-5-5.

Southold Firefighters arrived on scene and began attempting to knock down the fire using available tank water and water supplied from their tanker until a sustainable water supply could be established. Because of the heavy snow that had just blanketed the area firefighters initially had difficulty locating area fire hydrants.

Once the water supply was established, firefighters began using master streams from Southold's Tower Ladder 8-4-1 to fight the fire and gain access to the attic and roof areas

A short time later, CFD Engine 8-5-4 was dispatched to the scene as an additional engine for manpower. Upon arrival, 8-5-4 's manpower was utilized to assist Southold firefighters manning hoselines, ventilation and overhaul operations.

Additional firefighters from the Greenport and Mattituck Fire Departments assisted at the scene while the East Marion Fire Department stood by at the Southold Firehouse.

CFD firefighters stood by until the fire was knocked down and assisted SFD firefighters with overhaul and cleanup before being released from the scene nearly 2 hours later.

At the time of the fire, the resident of the home was able to escape without injuries after dialing 911.

As is routine, the exact cause is currently being investigated by the Suffolk County Police Arson Squad and the cause of the fire is not considered to be suspicious.