An opulent $9.2 million Southampton mansion owned by a real-estate mogul went up in flames Saturday.
Firefighters from ten departments across the Hamptons area battled for hours to control the fire at 50 Wyandanch Lane, one of the area’s most famous streets.
Fire department sSources say they suspect it was a grease fire that began in the kitchen. No one was reported hurt.
The fancy six-bedroom, six-bathroom pad boasts a swimming pool and half basketball court, and is surrounded by manicured gardens. The beach is just over a quarter mile down the road.
The gardens swarmed with firefighters bearing ladders and hoses on Saturday afternoon as smoke poured out the windows and roof of the 8,300-square-foot home.
The blaze was reported at 12:23 p.m. and worsened throughout the afternoon.
Records show the home is owned by well-known property investors Lawrence and Marilyn Friedland, who bought the two-story residence in 2004 for $7.5 million.
The property, which was built in 1999, was assessed for $9.2 million in 2014.
Friendland runs Friedland Properties and owns over 100 properties, many on the “Gold Coast” strip of Madison Avenue between 57th and 72nd Street.
His company is the largest landlord of Madison Avenue properties, and includes a lengthy list of high profile retail tenants such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Dolce & Gabanna and LVMH.
The Friedlands, who usually keep a low profile, could not be reached for comment.
Their exclusive corner of Southampton is home to business magnate George Soros, Barclays investment advisor Martin Shafiroff and his socialite wife Jean and media titan Lally Weymouth.
The extreme heat of the fire combined with the combined hot weather meant that firefighters had to continually rotate out of the blaze.
The ten volunteer fire departments called to the fire were Southampton, North Sea, Sag Harbor, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Hampton Bays, East Quogue, Westhampton, Shelter Island and Flanders.