Update: Fire Crews To Work Through The Night

The Woonsocket Fire Department will be working through the night to maintain stable conditions at the scene of today's First Avenue fire.

The building was still smoking at 10 p.m. this evening and crews continued to spray the remains from a lift above.

"We're going to be out here all night. It's just the way it collapsed," said Captain Girard. "We just can't get in there with the water."

After a roof collapse in the rear of the building last month, a "do not enter" order was issued on the structure, and firefighters could only fight the blaze from the ground, or from a number of lifts above.

Deputy Chief John Danis organized the initial fire response, which started around 12:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Deputy Chief Tom Williams assisted with the continued response as the building continued to burn.

Crews braving the 19 degree weather around 10 p.m. were expected to be replaced around midnight so they could rest and warm up. Eight or nine firefighters are expected to be on scene at all times throughout the evening.

"We have to be here at all times to maintain status quo and put out any hot spots," Girard said. State Fire Marshalls are expected to arrive with a crane Monday morning. "They'll have to pull out the pieces to figure out the cause." 

Residents on First Avenue were evacuated during the fire and cautioned to stay out of the area to avoid dangers of smoke inhalation and dangerous chemicals that could be present.

One resident, Deanna Kingston, said her husband saw the first sign of smoke around noon and called the fire department.  She said she knows that the building may contain mercury. 

Kingston has lived in the apartment for about a year.  “When we first moved here we heard a cat crying,” Kingston said.  Her husband had went into the building and noticed a big jar of mercury and turned it into the fire department.

Shaun Smith, the boyfriend of resident who lives across from the building, said he also saw the first signs of smoke around noon. 

“When I looked out the window there was smoke coming out from the other side,” Smith said.

Christina Rogers, who lives at 188 First Avenue, explained, “They evacuated us and we can’t go back into the area.” Rogers said she didn’t know what exactly happened at first.  “I thought it was the smoke blowing,” she said, until the cops came banging on the doors, telling them to evacuate.

She said the evacuation was due to the chemicals from the fire. The dark smoke may have been the result of  burning of dye that was in the building.

Many of the residents had to find places to stay to keep warm until things were settled, and some took shelter in a community center on Second Avenue. The Rhode Island Chapter of the American Red Cross was there to help keep the residents safe and warm. 

Norman Menard, Deputy Director of Emergency Services said the residents were evacuated as a precaution. “We have to assist the city any way we can,” Menard said. As of 10 p.m., all of the residents had reportedly been allowed back into their homes.

Volunteers from Providence Canteen were also expected to stay on scene throughout the night, providing food and coffee for crews on the front lines. Girard said that firefighters were always grateful for the truck, which appears at all of the city's fires. "We love those guys. They are a giant asset to us."