Middle Road Fire Caused by Space Heater

The fire that destroyed the house at 1796 Middle Road on Saturday night was caused by a space heater located in an enclosed porch, the fire marshal has concluded.

East Greenwich firefighters were dispatched to the house at around 7:22 p.m. and found the house fully engulfed.

An older gentleman and his daughter managed to escape the fire and were outside the house when first responders arrived.

According to a police report, the residents said they were inside the house when the daughter noticed the fire on the porch on the east side of the house.

She and her father gathered three of their five dogs and got outside before the flames spread to the rest of the house.

They did not have a cell phone and were forced to watch the house burn as they waited for firefighters to arrive. A neighbor who saw the fire from their own house called 911.

Firefighters found the remaining two dogs inside a bedroom in the house. One fireman was bit on the hand while rescuing it from under a bed. The dog, a 9-year-old chihuahua named “Dunkin,” was transported to North Kingstown Animal Hospital for quarantine.

The American Red Cross is assisting the family and they were transported to a local hotel.

A short time after the fire, the fire marshal concluded that the fire was caused by an electric space heater that was located in the enclosed porch.