The call came in at 11:33 p.m. on Saturday, May 26, saying "The Bevin Bell factory in East Hampton is on fire." The call from dispatch followed at 11:35 p.m., setting into motion a night the results of which few in East Hampton will soon forget.
A building that stood since 1880 was destroyed as was a company that had been making bells since 1832. Gone, too, was another company, PSI Plus, that had been making pressurized cylinders since 1991.
Interestingly, the East Hampton Fire Department believes, though not certain, that only one 911 call was received.