Why fire spread so rapidly through a Block Island hotel – and other buildings may be in danger

Block Island’s volunteer Fire Department waited only about 10 minutes before calling for backup in the blaze that broke out in the old Harborside Inn.

On Sunday – two days after the flames were sparked – the hotel was still hot.

Island-goers ferrying into the harbor collected on the bow, gazing out at the charred remnants. One remarked on the loss of its roof. Another, a child, looked on. “Isn’t that sad,” he sad.

Fire chief: Other buildings on Block Island are fire risks

Fire Chief Chris Hobe knows other buildings on the island that are aging and not built to today’s code run the same risk as the hotel. It had no fire stops in its walls, meaning the flames spread with abandon until they consumed the 133-year-old building. Blown-out windows and a black façade were reminders of the chaos that erupted less than 48 hours earlier.

More: Hotel fire on Block Island under investigation, water supply limited - updates

Hobe said the hotel’s balloon framing made a bad situation all the worse. Studs that stretched from the ground to top gave the flames a place to climb.

The miracle is that is wasn’t even more catastrophic. The island’s first responders, along with help from the mainland, banded together as a team of roughly 100 firefighters who battled the blaze and contained it. The Marine Task Force sent four boats to help shore up the limited water supply, and the Block Island Ferry shifted from transporting vacationers to transporting emergency vehicles and personnel.

“We’ve trained and prepared for this for years,” Hope said.

Business owners worry over lost sales, potential smoke damage

A box alarm sounded at the hotel at 11:37 p.m. on Friday – the start of a fight against flames that would carry on into the night. It may have started as a result of grease in the kitchen, although the cause and the location remain under investigation.

Karin Carlone, owner of a neighboring clothing shop called Bonnie & Clyde, didn’t hear word of the tragedy until 5 a.m. Saturday.

“I was worried I would lose my whole inventory because of smoke damage … Luckily my store is pretty tightly contained,” Carlone said.

But she’s thankful it didn’t spread. “The fact that the whole town could go up” is a fear that lingers in her mind, she said.

A short walk up the road, Bob Lodge, owner of Block Island Blue Pottery, is coping with a swift decline in business. Not as many people are visiting the island, even though ferry service has now returned to normal. On Saturday, Lodge saw about a drop in sales of about 40%. He estimated he would see the same losses through Sunday.

“Everybody lost yesterday,” he said. “The whole island lost.”

Nearby, Melinda Marye-Kelley, owner of Marye-Kelley Charcuterie, has watched her tip jar for the rescue squad quickly fill up.

It’s usually out as a show of gratitude to first responders, and since the fire, it has seen more donations.

“They saved the town,” Marye-Kelley said.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Block Island's Harborside Inn was not up to today's code