File photo
WPRO News and the Associated Press
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP) – The fire marshal says a fire that drove a family of five from their home and destroyed it was caused by a malfunction in an extension cord on the home’s back porch.
The family survived the early Monday morning fire and was taken to South County Hospital for evaluation, then released.
Their home, near the University of Rhode Island campus, burned to the ground.
Homeowners Kim and Michael Jones say they lost nearly everything they owned. Kim Jones says she was only able to recover a few photos.
She says the family’s chickens, which were housed on the porch, somehow survived.
The family had lived there for more than 20 years.
The closest fire hydrant was 1,500 feet from the home, and tanker trucks had to be used.
