Blaze Destroys Kingston Home

No one was injured, but a Kingston Road home was destroyed in a midnight blaze last night, according to Kingston Fire District (KFD) officials.

“We had a heavy volume of flames, when I pulled around the corner they were probably 40-50 feet over the building,” said Kingston Fire District Chief Nathan Barrington.

The alarm sounded at 11:49 p.m. last night and KFD and Union Fire District (UFD) officials arrived at 50 Marion Road within minutes to squelch the flames. Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading much more than it already had, stopping most of the blaze in 7-8 minutes. According to Barrington, firefighters declared the fire under control after 35 minutes.

“We chose the right attack and kept the fire where it was,” said Barrington. “We didn’t allow it advance into the building any more than it had.”

Despite both district’s efforts to put out the fire, the home was almost completely destroyed in the blaze. This morning fire damage was evident around all four sides of the home and all that was left of the rear side of the home was a pile of twisted vinyl, charred wood and soot.

“My girlfriend woke up and heard something outside,” said Scott Robinson, homeowner, describing how the midnight fire woke him and his girlfriend, Jaime Richter. “By the time I got out here, it had already smashed through the window.”

Construction crews were already busy boarding up windows and holes around the house early this morning as Robinson collected the few belongings he could save into a modest three laundry bins.

“Some stuff is salvageable,” said Robinson in an interview on Wednesday morning. “But most of it, if it’s not burnt or melted, it’s soaking wet.”

Robinson, who bought the single-story home two years ago, said the majority of the damage was to the back patio, kitchen and livingroom areas. The homes three bedrooms, located on the opposite side of the home than where the fire ignited, suffered mostly smoke and water damage.

Robinson and Richter pulled themselves to safety by the time rescue crews arrived on scene and were uninjured. South Kingstown Emergency Medical Services responded, but neither required medical attention, according to Barrington. He also said all smoke detectors in the home were in working order.

The South Kingstown Forest Fire Service Ladies Auxiliary also responded, as did the Providence Canteen.

The victims found housing through the Red Cross earlier this morning at a North Kingstown hotel.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation by the state Fire Marshal.