Halogen lamp likely caused Barrington house fire

Investigators believe that an overturned halogen lamp was to blame for a Barrington house fire late Wednesday night, Dec. 6.

A Barrington Fire Department official said an investigation into the cause of the fire showed that it likely started with a halogen lamp located in the basement of 15 Bowden Ave. 

Captain Jason Fanion said the lamp had been left on and at some point Wednesday night tipped over onto a pile of clothes. It is believed that the lamp ignited the clothes, and the fire then quickly spread throughout the basement and burned the electrical panel.

"That knocked out the power," said Capt. Fanion. 

Once the power went out, the home's automatic generator turned on, which caught the attention of a neighbor, Andrew Prete. Mr. Prete went outside to check the generator and then spotted smoke coming from the home, which belongs to Sam and Dorothy Abram. Mr. Prete knocked on the door to alert the Abram family. He also called 911.

Capt. Fanion said that once firefighters arrived on the scene at about 10 p.m., they called dispatch and requested additional help to vent the fire, which had spread into the walls of the older home. 

"They knew they were going to need a lot manpower," said the captain.

Firefighters from Seekonk, Warren, East Providence and Bristol joined the Barrington firefighters — two men began cutting a whole in the roof while the others worked throughout the interior, pulling open the walls searching for the fire.

"You have to find where it is," said Capt. Fanion, adding that the home's "balloon construction" allowed the fire to move quickly from the basement up though the walls and into the second floor and attic. Capt. Fanion said balloon construction does not feature "fire stops" in between floors. 

Firefighters were inside a second floor room in the southeastern corner of the house when the fire emerged from inside a wall. The blaze sent a glow throughout the room that could be seen outside the house, and, at the same time, trapped a Seekonk firefighter. 

He called for help and other firefighters scrambled to rescue him. They knocked down the fire inside the room and pulled him outside to safety.

Capt. Fanion said the Seekonk firefighter suffered burns to his neck and face and ears. He was transported to an area hospital. 

"The conditions can change quickly. That room lit right up," said Capt. Fanion. 

The effort to vent the fire through the roof was hampered by the home's construction. Capt. Fanion said there was a layer of plywood — or a false roof — between the ceiling on the second floor and the roof of the attic. 

"The plywood blocked the ventilation," he said. 

Eventually firefighters extinguished the blaze and by 3:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, crews had cleared the scene. 

The homeowners said Wednesday night that their two cats and a bird were in the house when the fire broke out. Capt. Fanion said one of the cats died during the fire. He did not have information about the other cat or the bird.