Blaze Causes Extensive Damage to Billionaire's NY Home

East Hampton Village fire officials are investigating the cause of a fire that broke out at billionaire Ron Perelman's home Friday night, authorities said Saturday. 

"The fire destroyed the attic, parts of the roof and caused damage to a number of rooms throughout the top floor" of the main residence on the estate known as The Creeks, East Hampton police said in a news release Saturday. No injuries were reported, police said. 

Police said security staff at the house discovered the fire in the attic after alarms went off. The cause of the fire is under investigation but it is not believed to be suspicious, police said in the news release. 

Seven fire departments battled the blaze, which started just before 10 p.m. at the Montauk Highway property, according to East Hampton police and the Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services department.

All visible flames were put out shortly after midnight, but firefighters remained at the scene to douse any embers in the wreckage, authorities said. 

Suffolk County tax records show the estate, which is on the banks of Georgica Pond, is 59.76 acres.

Perelman's spokesman, Josh Vlasto, said Saturday in a statement that the family was "not at the house at the time and there were no injuries to any staff who were on the property." 

Vlasto said the extent of the fire damage was still being evaluated and declined to comment on a report in the East Hampton Star that staff had removed artwork from the first floor of the house when the fire was controlled. Art News magazine lists Perelman as one of the top 200 art collectors in the world. 

Perelman is the chairman and chief executive of MacAndrews & Forbes, Inc., a private equity firm with stakes in diverse companies ranging from military equipment to cosmetics. Perelman has a net worth of $9.8 billion, Forbes magazine wrote in March. 

Ted Phillips covers the Town of Oyster Bay and has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011. Over his career he has covered state government in Albany, municipal finance, local government, crime, economic development and armed conflict.

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