Large fire destroys Rhode Island commercial building

In this photo posted by the North Kingstown Fire Department, fire consumes a building housing the Wickford Shipyard and Costal Iron Works early on the morning of September 10, 2019.

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP) – Authorities say there were no reports of injuries stemming from a massive fire at a Rhode Island commercial building.

The blaze in North Kingstown was reported at about 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Fire Chief Scott Kettelle says the building is a total loss.

The building housed two businesses, the Wickford Shipyard and Coastal Iron Works.

Kettelle says some wooden boats inside the building were destroyed, but things could have been worse if tanks of gasoline and diesel fuel next to the building had ignited.

Environmental officials are monitoring the air and nearby water for potential exposure to toxic chemicals as a result of the fire.

The cause is under investigation.

 

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