A Providence fire captain remains hospitalized after battling a massive fire on Eaton Street Thursday afternoon.
The flames started at a triple-decker home near Providence College and quickly spread to nearby homes.
Heavy winds fueled the flames and the home was engulfed before crews arrived.
Captain Joseph Fontaine was taken to Roger Williams Medical Center but has since been transferred to Rhode Island Hospital.
Fontaine was listed in stable condition Friday morning, a hospital spokesperson told our news partners at The Providence Journal. Fire Union President Paul Doughty confirmed to Eyewitness News that Fontaine is in his late 50s and has been with the department for 31 years. He is also a military veteran.
Fontaine was responding to the fire Thursday afternoon when he tripped down a flight of stairs and twisted his ankle – a non-life threatening injury.
When he arrived at Roger Williams, Doughty said his blood pressure dropped and he was taken into the Intensive Care Unit.
“During his treatment here, he was treated for cyanide overdose which is often one of the issues that can cause his symptoms although we are not sure what his cause of injury is other than obviously he was exposed to smoke that day,” Doughty said.