Crews Put Out Broadway Fire

NEWPORT, RI —Ten people are displaced after a fire started on a third-floor deck at 248 Broadway. According to Deputy Chief David Murphy, the first alarm sounded at 12:32 p.m. The exterior deck is on the back of the building, and the fire also damaged the third-floor apartment.

A second alarm was struck because hot weather added to the difficulty in fighting the fire.

"It was very hot," he said. The chief made the decision to rotate crews in and out faster than usual, he said, to avoid firefighter injuries from heat exhaustion. Middletown also sent an engine with four firefighters. Naval Station Newport and Portsmouth provided station coverage.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

No one was injured. Two cats that had been reported missing were found safe. The last firefighters cleared the scene at 3:45 p.m.

A couple of hours later, there were Adirondack chairs arranged on the front porch. Except for a heavy smell of smoke in the air and people walking by and pointing to the area along the side rear of the house, there was no sign there had been a fire.

"The crews did a real good job, and the house is still salvageable," he said. The Red Cross in finding shelter for the tenants who cannot go home. The Red Cross said Monday that seven families (10 adults) have been affected.

Patch Staff Photo: Margo Sullivan