Fire guts city home
Firefighters sent to hospital, family displaced following stubborn blaze
WOONSOCKET — City firefighters faced an Easter Sunday crisis when a fire broke out on the second floor of a two-story apartment building at 36 Mailloux St.
Woonsocket rescue personnel on a call spotted smoke coming from the building at about 12:35 p.m. as they arrived at Landmark Medical Center and called firefighters to the scene.
City firefighters arriving at Mailloux Street found heavy fire coming from a second-floor porch and hallway and quickly set up lines to knock it down, according to Deputy Fire Chief Roger Perreault, scene commander.
“They actually did an incredible job getting to that and hitting it hard,” Perreault said. The fire had already made its way up into the attic area of the structure, and firefighters continued
to work in the hallway area and attic as the effort to put it out continued, according Perreault.
Everyone had made it out of their apartments before firefighters arrived or were not home at the time.
At least two city firefighters suffered heat exhaustion or firefighting-related injuries during the fire and were transported to the hospital to be checked out, according to fire officials.
Firefighters also had to contend with a ladder truck malfunction during the efforts to control the blaze that almost left two department members stranded on the roof, where they had climbed to cut a roof vent with a power tool.
The Central Falls ladder bringing them to the location began to swing to the right as a result of a directional control problem, and the operator had the crew exit the roof after the vent was open to avoid further complications. The boom of the ladder swung over into nearby utility lines when an attempt was made to bring it down from building, and firefighters had to wait for the power company to shut down lines before the ladder could be moved again.
Perreault said the problem with the equipment was still be investigated Sunday night and noted the apparatus would be fully inspected before it is used again.
Local firefighters were assisted at the scene by mutual units from Bellingham, Lime Rock, Central Falls, Albion, Cumberland and North Smithfield. Fire Chief Paul Shatraw responded to the scene with other department deputy chiefs while the firefighting effort was underway and gusting winds in the area raised the risk of a possible extension of the fire to other buildings in the neighborhood.
Perreault said the cause of the fire was still being investigated by local fire investigators and the state fire marshal’s office Sunday evening. More information was expected to be available today. Perreault said fire damage to the building appeared confined to the outside porch, second floor hallway and the attic area. The building cannot be reoccupied until repairs are made, he noted. The Rhode Island Chapter of the American Red Cross was at the scene on Sunday assisting the occupants with temporary housing.