Saturday, January 24, 2015

FIRE THAT DESTROYED WOONSOCKET, RI HOME CONSIDERED ARSON




FIRE THAT DESTROYED WOONSOCKET, RI HOME CONSIDERED ARSON




January 23, 2015

WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — A fire that ravaged a Woonsocket home on Monday is believed to have been the result of arson, Captain Michael Morin confirmed on Friday.

Flames completely destroyed the six-family tenement on Wood Avenue and it took crews 12 hours to fully extinguish.

The state fire marshal’s office is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who can provide information on the suspect who started the fire.

The fire is believed to have been started around 7 am in the rear of the three-story building.
Amid the flames firefighters managed to rescue a cat from one of the apartments. The cat’s owner says they tried to find him before thick smoke forced them to flee the building. The family was relieved to see that their pet was saved. Nilar, an orange cat that was covered in black soot, received oxygen at the scene from a specialized animal oxygen mask.

The Red Cross is working to raise funds and provide temporary shelter for the 13 displaced tenants.

The home was torn down Monday night after it posed safety concerns.