Police, Fire Crews Respond to Home Fire on Ayrault Street

The Newport fire marshal is investigating a fire at a multi-family home on Ayrault Street late Tuesday.

According to the fire department, crews were dispatched from Station 1 after receiving a 911 call about the fire around 10:43 p.m. Upon arrival at 25 Ayrault Street, they found visible flames coming from a third floor deck area of the three story, occupied, multi-family house.

Fire Capt. Wayne Beebe directed his crew to search the house for occupants. A crew from Station 5, led by Lt. David Hanos, proceeded to the third floor using a rear stairwell to attack the fire. After all occupants were safely evacuated, the Station 1 firefighters stretched a 200 foot hose into the building and set up the ladder truck for access to the third floor deck and roof. Station 5 firefighters managed to extinguish the small exterior fire using a portable water extinguisher and were able to confine the fire to that deck and the adjoining wall. Thermal imaging cameras were used inside the building to check for fire extension, but none was found.

Newport Police reportedly arrived on the scene at the same time as firefighters. An officer spoke to the third floor resident, Emily Flynn, who said she made the 911 call after smelling the fire. Officers made contact with the owners of the building: Regina Berkeley and Robert Morrisey, of Brookline, MA.

After firefighters extinguished the fire, police officers met Fire Cpt. Kevin Garcia on the third floor rooftop deck, where they determined that the fire had started, but had never reached into the residence. There was reportedly a metal strainer wedged under the banister of the deck, which contained remnants of the non combustible parts of a lighter, as well as several cigarette butts.

Police officers spoke to Flynn, who said she had smoked a cigarette on the deck about an hour earlier and had extinguished it in a small porcelain ashtray. She said the cigarette could have been the cause of the fire, but she wasn't sure. The police report indicated that the fire was possibly electrical in nature.

All tenants were allowed to reenter the building Tuesday night. No injuries were reported. Damage to the building was minimal, but no estimate of the cost of the damage is available yet.

A total of two engines, one ladder, one rescue, and a command vehicle responded to the initial report. The pump ladder and rescue from Station 2 were dispatched, but were relieved before they got to the scene thanks to the rapid knockdown of the fire.

The fire marshal is expected to return Wednesday to reexamine the scene.