CONSTRUCTION BREAKDOWN SLOWING
IT DOWN AT THIS EARLY HOUR.
WE'LL HAVE MORE TRAFFIC
UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE HOUR
HERE ON 12 NEWS NEW THIS
MORNING. LEARNING NEW DETAILS
OF A FIRE AT A BUILDING WHERE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE JOE OSHA
CAR KEYS LAW FIRM IS LOCATED
AND 12 NEWS REPORTER KAIT
WALSH HAS BEEN TRACKING THE
SITUATION IN WARWICK. SHE
JOINS US LIVE.
>> FROM THE SCENE WITH AN
UPDATE. KATE.
>> WELL, AS THE SUN STARTS TO
THE SMOKE COMING FROM THE
BUILDING STILL BEHIND ME,
ESPECIALLY AS THE WIND PICKS
UP. WE CAN SEE IT MORE
CLEARLY. YOU CAN SEE A POLICE
OFFICER BLOCKING OFF THE
OFF THE SCENE. BUT AS WE TAKE
A CLOSER LOOK. YOU CAN SEE THE
WINDOWS ALL KNOCKED OUT AND
THE ROOF HAS CAVED IN THIS
BUILDING JUST GUTTED BY THE
FLAMES LAST NIGHT AND WE WERE
TOLD THAT THIS WAS WHERE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, JOE
SHOULD CAR. SHE'S A LAW OFFICE
UNIT IS LOCATED HIS SPOKESMAN
LEGISLATIVE SESSION LAST NIGHT
UPON GETTING HOME IN WARWICK,
YOU GET A CALL FROM MAYOR
FRANK MOSTLY THAT THE BUILDING
WHERE HIS LAW OFFICE WAS
LOCATED WAS ON FIRE. THIS
ISN'T COLLEGE HILL ROAD RIGHT
OFF OF BALD HILL ROAD AND NEAR
SEE CRI.
>> WELL, RICK FIRE CHIEF PETER
MCMICHAEL SAID THE CALL CAME
IN FOR A FIRE OUTSIDE THE
BUILDING. THEY FOUND THE
BUILDING TO BE ENGULFED IN
FLAMES AND NOW IT'S CONSIDERED
A TOTAL LOSS. NO, NO ONE WAS
INSIDE AT THE TIME, BUT HE SET
A FIREFIGHTER DID HAVE TO GET
CHECKED OUT FOR A MINOR INJURY
TO HIS LOWER BACK AND THAT IT
TOOK HOURS TO MAKE SURE THE
FLAMES WERE FULLY OUT.
>> SO THE INVESTIGATION INTO
THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS
REALLY JUST UNDERWAY.
>> WHAT I REALLY ENDING. ALL
RIGHT. NOW THE STATE FIRE
MARSHALS ON SCENE WALK FIRE
MARSHAL AS WELL AS A WAR
POLICE JOINT COMBINED. THE
SITUATION. THE GERMAN THE
CAUSE OF THE FIRE.
>> SPEAKER SHOULD CARD. SHE
SENT OUT A STATEMENT OVERNIGHT
SAYING IN PART, QUOTE, I'M SO
GRATEFUL. NO ONE WAS IN THE
BUILDING AND THAT THERE WERE
NO INJURIES SUSTAINED IN
FIGHTING THE FIRE. I HAVE NO
IDEA ABOUT THE CAUSE AND DON'T
WANT TO SPECULATE I LET THE
PROFESSIONALS DO THEIR JOB.
AND I DID REACH OUT TO THE
STATE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE.
THIS MORNING WAITING TO GET AN
UPDATE FROM THEM AS THEY
CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE. BUT
WE'RE TOLD LAST NIGHT BY THE
FIRE CHIEF THAT THIS WAS A
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY ISSUE.
THEY WEREN'T IF THEY'D BE ABLE
TO GET IN PHILLY TO
INVESTIGATE BECAUSE THE ROOF
HAD COLLAPSED INSIDE. SO WE'RE
GOING TO STAY ON SCENE HERE
THIS MORNING. AN UPDATE YOU AS
SOON AS WE GET THAT NEW
GARDEN STREET IN PAWTUCKET.
CHECKING THE MAPS....
(PATRICK)
WE CONTINUE TRACKING DEVELOPING
NEWS OUT OF WARWICK...
ON A STORY FIRST BREAKING LAST
NIGHT HERE ON 12 NEWS.
(DANIELLE)
FIRE BREAKING OUT IN AN OFFICE
BUILDING.... WHERE ONE OF THE
TENANTS IS THE LAW OFFICE OF
RHODE ISLAND HOUSE SPEAKER JOE
SHEKARCHI.
THIS HAPPENING ON COLLEGE HILL
ROAD - RIGHT OFF BALD HILL ROAD
- AT THE START OF WHERE ALL THE
SHOPS ARE - AND NEAR CCRI.
(PATRICK)
12 NEWS REPORTER KAIT WALSH IS
THERE LIVE THIS MORNING WITH NEW
OVERNIGHT REACTION.
(KAIT)
WE'RE BEING KEPT OFF THE
PROPERTY AS POLICE AND THE
STATE'S FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE
INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF THIS
FIRE.
BUT WE CAN SMELL THE SMOKE - AND
STILL SEE IT - COMING FROM THE
HOLE IN THE TOP OF THE BUILDING
- THAT WAS ONCE THE ROOF.
(KAIT)
WARWICK'S FIRE CHIEF SAYS THE
FIRE STARTED AROUND 9:30 LAST
NIGHT - AND THE CALL CAME IN OF
FLAMES OUTSIDE THE BUILDING.
FIREFIGHTERS WERE ABLE TO
CONTAIN THE FLAMES TO JUST THIS
BUILDING - WHICH HOUSES THE LAW
OFFICES OF HOUSE SPEAKER JOE
SHEKARCHI, HIS BROTHER AND HIS
SISTER.
SHEKARCHI'S SPOKESMAN SAYS THEY
OWN THE UNITS - WHICH THE CHIEF
SAYS ARE NOW CONSIDERED A TOTAL
LOSS.
12NEWS SPOKE WITH MAYOR FRANK
NIGHT:
MAYOR FRANK PICOZZI/WARWICK
["I was on the phone with
Speaker Shekarchi when I got
notified of the fire. He had
told me he had heard a report, I
informs me.' I got the text
while I was talking to him, so I
met him up here. BUTTED TO "It's
a bad fire. There's a lot of
damage. part of it's collapsed.
The roof is going down."]
(KAIT)
THE CHIEF SAYS ONE FIREFIGHTER
DID HAVE TO GET CHECKED OUT AT
KENT HOSPITAL FOR A MINOR LOWER
BACK INJURY.
NO ONE WAS INSIDE THE BUILDING
AT THE TIME.
SPEAKER SHEKARCHI SENT US A
STATEMENT OVERNIGHT SAYING HE
WASN'T GOING TO BEGIN TO
SPECULATE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE
- THE CHIEF SAYS INVESTIGATORS
ARE NOT RULING ANY CAUSE OUT
YET.
LIVE IN WARWICK - I'M KAIT WALSH