NORTH SMITHFIELD – One man was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries on Thursday, July 1, following an early morning fire that reportedly destroyed a home on Old Pound Hill Road.
Crews were called to the blaze around 4 a.m., and at 8 a.m., smoke was still billowing from the residence, with multiple fire companies on scene. Two other individuals reportedly escaped from the three-alarm fire, which engulfed the 2.5 story house at 28 Old Pound Hill Road.
“It’s a total loss,” said Fire Chief David Chartier of the structure.
Chartier said dispatch received multiple calls reporting the early morning blaze.
With no fire hydrants in the area, firefighters had to call in tanker trucks, and long hoses ran from nearby Pound Hill Road. Up to 40 firefighters reportedly worked to get the flames under control at one point in the battle.
“We had some real challenges with that fire,” Chartier said. “It’s on a hill with narrow space. There’s no municipal water so it was very, very difficult to get the water that we needed up there to extinguish the fire.”
The chief said that with the help of mutual aid, the blaze was extinguished in around one hour.
Chartier confirmed that firefighters removed an individual from the home, but said he could not comment on the victim’s status.
The two-family house is owned by Paula Branchaud, according to town property records.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by both the state and local fire marshals.
