A fire ripped through the Hamptons mansion of art world titan Larry Gagosian last night, filling the home with smoke and endangering countless artworks inside the Further Lane spread, sources said.
Fast acting members of the volunteer Amagansett Fire Department subdued the blaze in less than half and hour and limited fire damage to three rooms. “Our guys put it out pretty quick,” said Amagansett fire chief Mark Burnett. “But there is a lot of smoke damage on the walls.”
Burnett said the fire erupted around 9 p.m. last night as a caretaker performed some soldering work in the home’s kitchen area. Errant sparks induced flames behind a refrigerator and the blaze quickly spread towards the ceiling, Burnett said.
“The caretaker ran out with a few pieces of artwork,” he said.
After navigating their trucks down a long and winding driveway, about fifty firefighters battled the blaze as it moved into a bedroom and living room area. “We saved a flat screen television,” Burnett said. “It was the biggest one I’ve ever seen.”
The chief said that pieces from Gagosian’s legendary art collection covered the home’s walls and that he was unsure if the swirling smoke damaged them. He said many paintings were covered in plexiglass.
Gagosian, who is currently in Europe, has not been informed of the blaze yet, sources said. Insurance agents were expected to arrive at the home today to take stock of the damage.
The dealer, whose New York City gallery has managed works by artists from Damien Hirst to Andy Warhol, purchased the Charles Gwathmey designed home for for $8 million in 1990.