Beloved Seaford, N.Y., restaurant Crabby Amy's destroyed in Long Island marina fire

Thursday night's tidal flooding may be in part to blame for a large fire at a Long Island marina that destroyed a restaurant and several boats. 

Decades-old Crabby Amy's Clam and Oyster Bar, a Seaford waterfront institution, was engulfed in the raging fire. High winds quickly spread the blaze to several boats docked at Treasure Island Marina, which broke free while still on fire. 

Future of Crabby Amy's uncertain

Wantagh Assistant Fire Chief Paul Krussmann was on the scene within two minutes. 

"The majority of the whole building was already fully involved," Krussmann said. 

Crabby Amy's couldn't be saved. 

"It's very sad. It's a lot of memories, and she's the nicest person. During Sandy, she was feeding everybody," Seaford resident Tom Humphrey said. 

"It was just a sense of community ... But the main thing is nobody got hurt," Seaford resident Mary Palmeri said. 

The future of Crabby Amy's is unclear. The owner declined comment. 

"I feel sad for the employees, for the kids who work there," said Carol Drucker, who owns a boat in the marina. 

Quick thinking saves the marina 

Dan Schultz of RMS Marine Services towed the burning boats out to marshes, where firefighters extinguished the flames.

"Jumped in my boat and went over there as fast as I could," Schultz said.

Marina manager Ray Reichel lost his own boat in the blaze. It was one of four destroyed. Two others were damaged. He credits firefighters and Schultz for saving the marina and its 200 boats.   

"He was smart enough to go out there, grab them and pull them down the canal and get them out of here because if they would've gone to the next dock, it just could have escalated. The whole place could have been lost," Reichel said.

"If another boat goes, that's it. The wind last night just kept taking the flames," Schultz said.  

They also prevented a possible environmental disaster. The Coast Guard said there was minimal harm to the waterway, and what little oil escaped from the boats could not be recovered. The Coast Guard adds any sheen that can be seen on the water will naturally dissipate. 

The Nassau County fire marshal ruled the cause accidental, and electrical. Salt water and Hurricane Erin's unusually high tides were probably contributing factors. 

"There is a connection that we are looking at - that tidal flooding affecting the electric for the building," Fire Marshal Michael Utaro said.