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A fire at a Hamptons vacation home claimed the lives of two sisters from Potomac, Maryland, on Wednesday morning. The summer house in Noyack, a picturesque hamlet between Southampton village and Sag Harbor, was being rented by the family for the summer.
Jillian Wiener, 21, and Lindsay Wiener, 19, were asleep when the fire broke out at the Noyack Bay residence at 3:30 a.m.
Reportedly, the sound of shattering glass caused their 60-year-old father, Lewis Wiener, to wake up and get his family out of the Hamptons home. Lewis and his wife Alisa Wiener, 52, including their son Zachary, 23, managed to escape. According to the police, the sisters were trapped in the bedroom upstairs.
According to reports, their father attempted to re-enter the home to save his daughters but was unable to do so due to the flames.
Family members of the people who owned the home were volunteer firefighters and had responded to the deadly Hamptons fire. They were at the location with police and fire marshals.
Family and friends mourn the loss of the two sisters who died in the Hamptons house fire
The Hamptons house fire that claimed the lives of two sisters has left their family, friends and even local tourists shocked.
Some tourists, who were also renting homes in the Hamptons, said the tragedy was unimaginable.
Following the incident, Goli Azhdam, a friend and neighbor of the Potomac family, told WRC-TV:
"My heart is just full of sadness hearing this news. I knew them since they were born and it’s truly shocking. Truly, extremely sad news. We had an elderly couple in that house across from them. They would shovel their snow. They would shovel ours, even. Very kind. Very … close-knit."
Jillian and Lindsay Wiener were students at the Holton-Arms School, an all-girls private school in Bethesda, Maryland.
Paying their condolences, Holton-Arms School released a statement saying:
"As much of the Holton community can attest, the sisters were warm and engaged members of the Holton community who positively impacted both their classes and the larger school community."
The school added that Jillian enjoyed yoga and raising money and awareness for kids battling cancer. She also played ice hockey and was part of the school's soccer team. The school also praised the other sister, Lindsay, for her commitment to volunteering, for leading the Jewish Culture Club and for being a "bright spirit and a leader."
Lindsay was ready to return to Tulane University for her sophomore year this fall while Jillian was an incoming senior at the University of Michigan.
Their father, Lewis Wiener, is the president of the Washington Hebrew Congregation in D.C., which is one of the country’s largest Reform Jewish synagogues.
In a statement, the congregation said:
"The world has lost two beautiful lights today, and the Washington Hebrew Congregation community is heartbroken. Through their leadership and service, acts of kindness, and friendship, the Wiener family -- Lewis, Alisa, Zach, Jillian, and Lindsay – has touched so many lives at Washington Hebrew."
They further stated:
"It was just two months ago that we came together as a community to celebrate with the Wieners when Lew was installed as our Congregation’s president. Now, as a community, we will again come together to support and lift up Lew, Alisa, and Zach in every way possible."
Authorities claim that Hamptons house fire was not suspicious
According to law enforcement authorities, there was no indication that the Hamptons house fire was suspicious. However, the cause of the fire at the Hamptons home is being looked into by the Fire Marshal's Office.
In the end, firefighters from five different communities arrived at the scene to put out the fire. Once the flames were extinguished, they were able to locate the two young women.
Medical personnel transported them to the hospital from the Hamptons home and gave them CPR, but the girls succumbed to their injuries.
According to Suffolk County police, the rest of the family members sustained minor injuries.
