I believe the house in question was Dick Cavett's, was part of a group of
MM&W houses somewhere on LI (maybe Montauk, but I don't think Hamptons) and
burned just as some sort of work on it was about to be finished. Sam White
(author of excellent recent book on MM&W houses, and Stanford's great
grandson) would know more.
Have no reason to believe ][<en was in the vicinity at the time.
Ralph