Photos/Story by Roland J. Gosselin, Raymond A Taylor, Tom Carmody, Tim Delaney
A fast moving fire ripped through a commercial building in Warwick, RI on Thursday,forcing the evacuation of nearby homes due to the amount of smoke and the danger of exploding chemicals stored in the building.
The Warwick Fire Department received numerous calls reporting a fire in a company known as Rhode Island Rentals, located on Lincoln Ave. The building was 50 x 150 square foot, one and half story, commercial masonary block and wood composition. It was a rental facility which housed which housed helium,propane,tables,tents and other rental items.
The first arriving apparatus, Engine 7, reported heavy fire through the roof and immediately requested a second alarm. Engine 8, along with Special Hazards 1, which were stationed just a block and half from the fire building, arrived on scene to report heavy fire conditions on side two of the building.
A defensive posture was taken due to the explosion of some of the tanks in the building.Numerous heavy stream appliances,as well as 2 ladder pipes and 1 tower ladder were used to contain the fire to the original fire building.
Companies faced a few challenges at this fire, including exposures which were located near to the fire building, explosions inside the structure and access problems to side three of the fire building. Master streams in defensive operation were placed into service at the same time exposures were being protected.
Members were not permitted to make an interior attack due to the extreme fire conditions and building contents. Early on in the fire, white flames were seen coming from the rear of the structure. Owners later explained, tent stakes with a magnesium base were stored in that area.
At the height of the fire, a loud whistle began emminating from the center of the building. Firefighters atop ladders determined the noise to be the relief valves of several large propane tanks stored within the building. The tanks were immediately cooled with ladder pipes.
Battalion Chief arrived on scene and within a few minutes struck the 3rd alarm, for manpower and relief, as temps dipped into the teens. This alarm brought in all 7 engines, 2 ladders, 1 tower ladder, 4 EMS Rescues, 1 Special Hazards, 2 Battalion chiefs and numerous staff personnel due to the alarms transmitted.
Firefighters worked for approximately three hours to bring the fire under control and remained on the scene till early hours of the morning. There were no reported injuries and the cause is still under investigation.
