January 20, 1948 A fire that reportedly started around heating equipment, gutted the 3 story Port Jefferson Post Office building located at 202 Main Street on this date. Port Jefferson FD was assisted at the scene by Setauket and Stony Brook and kept the fire from spreading and brought it under control in the early afternoon. Though firemen poured tons of water on the charred interior, the fire broke out again on Wednesday (1-21) morning on the upper floor. That flare up was quickly extinguished.
The building housed the Post Office, Justice Court, Scout Hall, offices and apartments. The ground floor rear was occupied by the Port Jefferson Record. The loss of printing equipment was considerable. All of the mail was saved and moved to a temporary post office in the Legion building. The building was owned by someone named Heyser. Fred Vopat, Ex-Chief of Stony Brook FD broke his ankle while laying hose and was taken to Mather Hospital. Setauket pumper drafted from the harbor and supplied Port Jefferson. Smithtown FD sent a Seagrave to replace Stony Brook at the scene on Tuesday and St. James sent a crew to Stony Brook to cover on Wednesday. 1-22-1948 Smithtown News. All photos are from the Port Jefferson Village Centennial Archives.
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