Fire at 518 Elm St. leaves 20 people homeless
WOONSOCKET – A fire of undetermined origin sweeping through the second floor of a six-family tenement building at 518 Elm Street left 20 people homeless Wednesday but thankfully no one seriously injured, according to city police and fire officials.
The fire breaking out at about 2:30 p.m. did send one man to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation after he entered his first floor apartment to rescue his pet dog and cat and officials reported a dog and a cat owned by another tenant were believed to have perished along with some pet gerbils.
Firefighters found everyone out of the building upon their arrival and heavy smoke coming from the second floor, according to Fire Captain Robert Cahill.
“Engine 2 personnel entered through that first-floor front door and then they encountered heavy fire right from the get go from there,” Cahill related.
Cahill said he had made a check for anyone inside upon his arrival at the scene and confirmed everyone was out.
No firefighters were reported hurt battling the fire which also caused heavy smoke, heat and water damage on the first and third floors of the three-story building.
Woonsocket Ladder No. 1, and Lincoln’s Ladder No. 1 set up on Elm Street in front of the building to help knock down the fire before it could spread further.
Cahill said the building was heavily damaged with a large amount of content on the third floor complicating firefighter efforts to contain the fire.
Firefighters were seen clearing smoke-damaged materials from the third floor after the flames on the second had been extinguished.
Reports from the scene listed 12 adults and eight children as living in the building, and all were being assisted by the property owner and
local emergency response personnel in finding temporary residences.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation by local investigators and members of the state Fire Marshal’s Office Friday evening but Woonsocket Police Captain John Picard said it did appear that the flames broke out on the second floor where the most extensive fire damage occurred.
“That’s our belief now, it’s still under investigation but they are concentrating on the second-floor, left apartment,” Picard said.
“It spread throughout the building,” Picard said while noting the efforts by firefighters to chase down its extension and secure the structure.
Picard said the first floor resident’s pets were assisted in a rescue after they were brought out of the building. A woman resident of the building reported another cat to be missing but emergency personnel had not located it in the building, Picard added.
The fire drew mutual assistance from a number of surrounding communities and apparatus from North Smithfield, Cumberland, Bellingham and Blackstone set up in the neighborhood to assist with water supply and firefighter rotations. Elm Street was blocked off while the fire was being fought but was expected to be opened to traffic in late evening as the clean-up continued.