Police in East Hampton are investigating the theft of 1,500 pounds of brass bells from the burned out ruins of the Bevin Brothers factory, which was destroyed by fire on Saturday night.
According to Police Chief Matthew Reimondo, factory owner Matt Bevin reported on Tuesday that "a quantity of brass bells" is missing from the factory, and might have been taken in the hours after the devastating fire, while the building was still smoldering.
Flames broke out inside the historic factory at 10 Bevin Road around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, and quickly spread through the bell-making plant, destroying the structure. More than 200 firefighters worked together to put out the flames. Fire officials said the cause of the fire was undetermined, but believe it was likely started by a lightning strike.
Bevin Brothers Manufacturing had been making bells at the East Hampton location for 180 years. The fire destroyed about 75 percent of the company's order items, including all of the bells that were scheduled to be shipped to the Salvation Army, Matt Bevin said just after the fire. Some of the bells that survived the fire have gone missing, Bevin told police.
Investigators believe the theft occurred sometime on Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
There has been a constant police and neighborhood presence at the location since the fire broke out, according to Reimondo.
The bells had been ready to be shipped before the fire struck.
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While Reimondo acknowledged there was a lot of scrap metal in the building, he would not release details on whether officers were canvassing nearby scrapyards to see if someone may have tried to sell the stolen bells.
Anyone with information is urged to call East Hampton Police at 860-267-9922.
