Garage ablaze, homeowners must drive to station to alert firefighters
Land line burned, cell phone weak in that part of Little Compton
LITTLE COMPTON — Fire destroyed the garage and a car inside, but firefighters managed to save a Little Compton house overnight with help from crews from surrounding towns.
Initial response to the Old Farm Road location was delayed, Little Compton Fire Chief Richard Petrin said, because the homeowners had to drive five minutes or so to the station to report the blaze. The fire destroyed their land line phone connection foiling efforts to call 911, and cell phone coverage is unreliable there.
By the time firefighters arrived, flames had erupted from the garage roof. It took about half an hour to extinguish the blaze.
The garage is a total loss but the chief said damage to the house was mostly limited to smoke and water.
Since there are no hydrants in the area, firefighters had to truck in water to the blaze. Helping out were crews from nearby towns including Tiverton, Westport, Middletown, Portsmouth and Warren.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Old Farm Road runs parallel to Willow Avenue just north of The Commons and the Public Safety Complex.
