Crews respond to fire at 2 Providence homes

Melanie DaSilva and Kristin Burnell

28 minutes ago

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Two neighboring homes in Providence caught fire Sunday evening.

Crews responded to the scene around 11 p.m. and found heavy fire and smoke coming from 431 and 433 Pine Street.

A tenant was living in the basement of 431, but escaped unharmed, according to Deputy Fire Chief Craig Grantham.

The house at 433 has been vacant since a fire broke out there in May 2023.

“When there has already been fire damage, the fire can spread much more quickly. So it’s a significant impediment to our operations,” Grantham explained.

“When the first alarm companies arrived, they had two busy houses. Our assets were dispersed relatively little and very quickly,” he continued. “The first chief on scene was able to raise a second alarm immediately and when I arrived on scene, I pulled a third alarm just to attract more manpower here and separate it, because at that point, we have two separate building fires.”

The same crews responded to another fire on Indiana Avenue a few hours earlier, involving a boat and two homes.