Sutton Avenue House Fire Forces Tenants Out of Home [VIDEO]

Occupants of a Sutton Avenue multi-unit residence were forced to evacuate their home Thursday afternoon after a fire started in the second-story hallway. 

Multiple fire companies responded to 109 Sutton Ave after receiving a call from dispatch. While tenants stood outside, firefighters dragged insulation and burnt pieces of wood out of the back door; exterior damage was limited to the back wall of the house above the first floor. Neighbors stood watch on porches.

Tenant Matt Dame said he first smelled the fire as a delivery man was dropping off food. Carbon monoxide alarms also detected the blaze.

"It was lucky timing," he said.

Owner Fatima Estrela was given the news that her house was on fire after one of her tenants called her. At work in Bristol at the time, she was "nauseated" to hear the news. Four tenants live on the middle floor; two on the third floor, according to Estrela. 

"You just hope everybody is fine and rush," she said outside her home.

She was told the home would be inhabitable once repairs were made.

According to East Providence Fire Department Captain Oscar Elmasian, because the structure was built before the '40s, multiple firefighters were needed to extinguish all potential areas of the fire's origin. The cause of the minor blaze is unknown.

The cause of the the blaze is known, according to Capt. Elmasian. No injuries were reported.