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January 24, 2008

Update: Arson ruled out in Newport carriage house fire

Journal Photo/Frieda Squires
Newport firefighters work to put of the fire at the carriage house of Elm Court, an estate on the corner of Bowery Street and Bellevue Avenue, last night.

NEWPORT -- Arson is not suspected in the fire that caused extensive damage last night to the carriage house at Elm Court at 315 Bellevue Ave., police said this morning.

Police Lt. William Fitzgerald said police and fire officials want to reassure the public that the fire is not the work of the serial arsonist who alarmed the city last spring.

The fire erupted about 6:30 last night, apparently in the attic of the carriage house, while the owner was at home, Fitzgerald said.

The owner, Guy Vanpelt, noticed the fire in a second-floor ceiling and tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher, but it was already too entrenched. He activated a fire alarm and left the building, Fitzgerald said.

He said the fire, battled by about 50 firefighters until about 11:30 p.m., caused extensive damage to the second floor and roof. The building should be able to be salvaged, he said.

The cause of the fire, which could be related to a malfunction of the electrical system, was still under investigation this morning by the fire department and the state fire marshal’s office, Fitzgerald said.

He said firefighters today were still on the scene watching for possible hot spots in the building, and police blocked off Bellevue Avenue from Bowery to King streets because their hoses are in the road.

Fitzgerald said he expects the fire department to finish its watch by early afternoon.

The carriage house is adjacent to the Kingscote mansion, which is owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County. The mansion was not damaged in the fire.

-- Journal staff writer Gina Macris

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 12:14 PM | Permalink

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