By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
A person died and a firefighter was injured in a fire, reported around 7:00 A.M. in a multi-family home on Summit Street in Pawtucket, a blaze that sent thick smoke billowing across nearby Interstate 95 during the morning rush hour.
The victim was not immediately identified, and the extent of the firefighter’s injuries was not immediately known, according to Pawtucket Battalion Chief Dave Cairrao.
“There was heavy fire conditions in the attic, and on the third floor. We removed the victim from a first-floor hallway, a civilian victim that passed away, and one of our firefighters was also transported to Rhode Island Hospital and is being seen at this time,” Cairrao said, as fire crews mopped up at the scene of the blaze.
He said the Red Cross was helping several families displaced by the fire, which he said became intense.
“It was large enough that it was unsafe for crews to be inside, so we had to pull the crews out. When the fire broke through the roof and other areas, we were able to hit the fire from the exterior and knock the fire down. Once that was achieved then we were able to go back in and chase hot spots.”
Next-door neighbor Ken Frates was awakened by a neighbor and the sound of sirens, and said that he saw rescue crews remove a woman’s body, covered with a sheet.
Investigators from the office of the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal were on scene, Cairrao said they would try to determine the cause of the fire.
