Crime & Safety

Two Pets Apparently Perish in Summit Road Fire

Cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The Rhode Island Fire Marshal's office is investigating the cause of a major fire on Summit Road Saturday evening.

Firefighters said the fire appears to have started in the back of the house at 2 Summit Road. The call for the fire came around 3:40 p.m.

The first engine to arrive saw the house fully involved. The occupants of the house made it out safely but two family pets have not been located and appear to have been lost in the fire, said Michael P. O'Brien, Portsmouth Fire Department's deputy fire chief.

Portsmouth Firefighters received mutual aid from Bristol, Tiverton and Middletown and Naval Station Newport's fire department covered the town during the fire. Providence Canteen also responded to the scene to provide support.

No firefighters were hurt in the blaze but "there were some tense moments when a portion of the home toppled over into the back yard," O'Brien said. "A roll call was taken and all on scene firefighters were accounted for."

Crews were at the scene battling hot spots and embers until 10:30 p.m. Additional support from Aquidneck Construction was brought in to help extinguishing hot spots, O'Brien said.

The 2,366 square foot, two-story single family home was built in 1948, according to town records.


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