Video Update: Firefighters Battle Chimney Fire at Aquidneck Avenue Home

MIDDLETOWN, RI — Firefighters from three communities battled a stubborn attic fire Thanksgiving night, according to Middletown Fire Chief Ronald Doire.

The scene was captured on video and posted to the Portsmouth Fire Department's Facebook page.

No one was injured, and the family is staying at another home. Most of the damage is to the roof, attic framing and back of the house.

"The roof section in the center back of the house had to be cut away," he said, so crews could get at the fire. The basement, first and second floors had water damage, and there was smoke damage to the first and second floors.

"The front and the exterior wasn't damaged," he said.

Chief Doire believes the fire started in the chimney and escape in the attic.

The call came into the Middletown Fire Department around 10:20 p.m. on Thursday night, the chief said. Initially, five firefighters went to 560 Aquidneck Ave,, and then three more off-duty firefighters also responded. A second alarm was sounded, after the first responders evaluated the situation, and Newport, Portsmouth the Navy and Jamestown apparatus and firefighters. Newport, Portsmouth and Jamestown sent pumper trucks, Jamestown sent an engine and the Navy sent a ladder truck.

The family had been burning wood in the fireplace for much of the day, the chief said. After they went to bed, the homeowner heard crackling sounds and investigated. He saw smoke coming from light fixtures in the ceiling. The room with the fireplace has an open plan, and encompasses the first two stories of the house.

"They had a chimney fire," Chief Doire said, and it may have caught in the attic through an opening in the chimney.

The Newport firefighters cut the roof, exposed the fire and attempted to douse it, while Middletown and Portsmouth worked inside the house.

Jamestown initially sent a pumper to the Middletown for fire station coverage and then sent an engine, so firefighters could give the other fire crews a break.

"The fire was trapped" in the attic sections and it was also concealed, he said, so it took a long time to put it out.

Courtesy Video: Portsmouth Fire Department Facebook Post /Video by Aidan O'Brien