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June 16, 2008

Suspicious fire damages vacant Providence triple-decker

PROVIDENCE -- A fire of suspicious origin early this morning heavily damaged an unoccupied triple-decker at 380-382 Smith St., said city Fire Marshal Anthony DiGiulio.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it may be arson because the house was unoccupied and because the pattern of the burn suggests it was aided by an accelerant, the fire marshal said.

“It appears to have started in two rooms at the front of the first floor and it extended up the wall to the second and third floors and the loft, where it burned through the roof,” he said. “When the firefighters arrived, the second and third floors were heavily involved in the fire.”

The house, which is near the intersection of Esten Street in Smith Hill, apparently had been vacated in the past couple of days. Firefighters were called to the site at 2:42 a.m.

One firefighter suffered a back injury and another, a cut on his hand, and both were treated at a hospital, DiGiulio said.

The fire marshal said firefighters did “a fantastic job” in containing the blaze to the building.

-- Journal staff writer Gregory Smith

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 5:28 PM | Permalink

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