Early-Morning Fire Damages Garage

An early-morning fire in a garage at a one-story ranch house at 43 Seabrook Drive on Thursday, Dec. 20, caused damage to a workbench, cabinets and an outside wall, according to the East Providence Fire Marshal, Capt. Oscar Elmasian. 

“It could have been a lot worse,” said Elmasian.  “The wife smelled smoke. She alerted her husband.”

He spotted smoke coming out of the garage and attempted to extinguish the blaze with a fire extinguisher, Elmasian said. His wife called the fire department at about 1:14 am.

A round work light plugged into the wall with an extension cord is believed to have started the fire, Elmasian said, although the owner said it was not turned on. 

The fire then dropped down from the cabinets to the work bench, which held consumables such as paint thinner, he said. The fire then started spreading to the outside walls of the garage.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze quickly. They were on the scene for about 60 to 90 minutes.

No one was hurt or needed medical attention.