16 displaced, 2 hospitalized after overnight fire in Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A total of 16 people were displaced after an overnight fire tore through two homes on Elmwood Avenue in Providence.

The call came in just around 2 a.m., and over 60 firefighters responded.

According to Chief Derek Silva, two people were treated and transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

One of the homes is a total loss, according to Dep. Asst. Chief Robert Jackson, and The American Red Cross is helping the residents who were impacted.

“Companies did a tremendous job,” said Jackson.

“The building next door, there’s some exterior damage, but with limitation to it,” he said.

“This is just something we were not well prepared for,” a resident told ABC6, who said she woke up to the smoke alarms.

She said she, her husband, and her daughter escaped the home to find flames shooting through the first floor apartment’s windows.

Silva said the cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.