Cause of Bristol house fire is still under investigation

By Scott Pickering
Posted 6/2/21

Investigators are working to determine the cause of a fire that displaced a couple from their 30 Defiance Ave. home in the middle of the night last week.

The fire was reported at 1:40 a.m. on …

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Cause of Bristol house fire is still under investigation

Posted

Investigators are working to determine the cause of a fire that displaced a couple from their 30 Defiance Ave. home in the middle of the night last week.

The fire was reported at 1:40 a.m. on Friday, May 28. When firefighters arrived to the raised ranch-style structure, there was heavy fire from the back of the home, with the back deck engulfed in flames.

It was burning so hot that a sliding door leading into the main level of the house broke, helping the flames get inside. Chief Michael DeMello said they hit the exterior with a large, two-and-a-half-inch line and were able to knock down the bulk of the flames quickly. They then attacked the fire where it had spread into the attic and burned through much of the roof.

The couple living inside were safely outside before firefighters arrived, and they were quickly welcomed inside by neighbors.

Chief DeMello said there are no clear indications about what started the fire. There was no fire pit, no evidence of smoking, and a grill in the back yard had not been used recently.

With no obvious cause immediately discernible, both Bristol Police detectives and the Rhode Island Fire Marshal’s Office were called to investigate.

“We brought in the detective to be sure nothing fishy is going on,” the chief said. “We’re doing our due diligence because there’s nothing else obvious … We want to be sure arson is not involved.”

The home is not inhabitable and won’t be for a while. It certainly needs a new roof and repairs before anyone can live there.

Deadly fire May 25

This was the second fire in three days for the Bristol Fire Department, the first a fatal blaze on Prospect Street on May 25. Corey Rogers, a 34-year-old resident of that multi-family home, died when the room he was inside became engulfed in flames.

Chief DeMello said it appears that the fire began from smoking materials and that Mr. Rogers might have been trying to extinguish the flames. He either caught fire and became trapped in the burning room, or was trapped in the burning room and caught fire.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, the room was fully engulfed and there was nothing they could do to save Mr. Rogers.

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