Coventry house fire claims the lives of 2 cats, displaces 2 families

COVENTRY, R.I. (WLNE) — The Coventry Fire Department battled a house fire that claimed the lives of two cats and displaced two families.

Officials said they received a 911 call reporting a fire at a home on Leveillee Road just after 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Coventry Fire Chief Frank Brown said one person was in the house at the time of the fire and they were able to make it out safely. While no people were hurt, two cats died in the blaze.

The chief said the fire began in the basement of the home and compromised a staircase so firefighters had to find an alternate way to the fire.

Firefighters entered through a bulkhead on the opposite side of the home to attack the blaze. None were injured, the chief said, but some were overheated from being in a basement paired with higher temperatures outside.

The house was deemed uninhabitable.

The Red Cross is assisting two families, five adults and two children, displaced by the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office and Coventry Fire Department.