Sayville fire officials on the scene at Main Street on Oct. 25, 2024 (Long Island Press)
A fast-moving fire severely damaged multiple businesses in downtown Sayville on Friday evening — 12 hours after an early morning blaze burned a store and several apartments in downtown Westhampton Beach, officials said.
In the first case, Westhampton Beach firefighters responded to find Tola, a clothing store on Main Street, and the apartments above it engulfed at about 5:20 a.m. Then at about 5:35 p.m., Sayville firefighters responded to find a towering column of flames shooting from the roof of a vacant Main Street storefront that was previously home to Cafe Joelle.
“Everybody’s in shock right now, sad to say, and everybody’s hearts are broken,” said Eileen Tyznar, the immediate past president of the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce.
Westhampton Beach firefighters report that the flames at the Tola building were extinguished in about an hour before the fire could spread to neighboring businesses. But the Sayville fire spread from the vacant cafe to the roof of businesses to the east and took several hours for firefighters to get under control.
Paper Doll Vintage Boutique, located immediately next to former Cafe Joelle, incurred some of the heaviest damage, with Tyznar reporting that the owner was taken to a local hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Two stores down, Boris’ Barber Shop, which is part of the same building as the boutique, also suffered significant damage.
The commercial building immediately to the east — home to Sayville Running Company and Hammer & Stain DIY Workshops on the ground floor and several offices above the storefronts — were also damaged. To the closest building to the west of the vacant cafe is The Crushed Olive, which appears to have suffered smoke and water damage.
Cafe Joelle itself had recently moved to a larger location on Foster Avenue that was unaffected by the fire. A new eatery was being built in the recently vacated space.
The Sayville chamber launched the Main Street Relief Fund to help damaged businesses get back on their feet.
In the Westhampton Beach fire, 20 residents who were displaced are being assisted by the Red Cross.
Tola wrote about the fire on Instagram.
“Sadly, the apartments in our building caught fire early this morning and the damage is severe, including the shop,” the post reads. “Thankfully nobody was badly injured. We will be closed for the foreseeable future and will keep you informed as details are uncovered.”
Authorities are investigating the cause of both fires.