Thursday, February 26, 2015

3 FAMILIES LOST THEIR HOME, FAMILY PETS PERISHED IN A MASSIVE FIRE IN CENTRAL FALLS, RI. LACK OF WATER AND ELECTRICITY CREATED PROBLEMS IN FIGHTING THE FIRE










FEBRUARY 25, 2015

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (WPRI)

Three families were forced to find temporary shelter Wednesday night after flames tore through their home in Central Falls.

The flames broke out at about 8 p.m. at the multi-family home on Jenks Avenue.

Fire Chief Robert Bradley said firefighters were faced with a number of challenges, the first being electricity.  He said it caused several small explosions in the house, and crews had to wait until it was turned off before they could get in and fight the flames.

The chief said access to water also became a problem early on.
“We actually had a lot of problems with water, just because the initial truck that pulled up kind of dumped their 750-gallon tank in the matter of about three minutes. There was that much fire when they first arrived,” he explained. “We had to wait for a water supply to be established, but it did take a little time and the fire just continually grew on us.”

Crews also had to cut a hole in the roof to release the smoke and ventilate the house.

Everyone that was inside at the time managed to get out safely, however family pets perished in the fire. One resident told us she escaped mere seconds before things got really bad.

“I’ve been living here 38 years,” said Millie Gouveia, “I don’t know any other place to live, this is my home.”

It took firefighters about 30 minutes to put out the flames.

Chief Bradley said it appears the fire started in the basement and made it’s way up through the rear of the home, but the exact cause remains under investigation.
Source: www.wpri.com