Two cats were dead and a fire captain was being treated for a back injury Tuesday in the aftermath a fire that swept through a house on West Street, authorities said.
Firefighters went to 19 West St., a short distance from the city’s downtown public safety headquarters complex, at about 1:54 p.m. They encountered heavy fire and eventually determined that two people had evacuated the house, said Providence fire Battalion Chief Ken Cirelli.
A Providence firefighter who was in the area barred two people from entering the house, Cirelli said. One of them, a man, had his hair singed by fire, he said.
About 35 to 40 firefighters needed 30 minutes to knock the fire down, Cirelli said. A fire captain injured his back during a fall on stairs and was taken to the hospital for treatment, he said.
Cirelli said he had no information to release on the cause of the fire.