Three firefighters were injured while battling a massive fire that ripped through the Wayfinder Hotel on Admiral Kalbfus Road in Newport Monday night.
WPRI 12 reported that departments from six different communities were called in to help knock down the flames at the four-story hotel, which is across the street from the old Newport Grand Casino.
Deputy Fire Chief Mark Riding told WPRI that three firefighters suffered minor injuries, but no guests were hurt.
“We actually had one firefighter go through a floor. He was rescued by the crews that were with him,” Riding said. “We don’t know if it was from the heat or the water weight that was causing collapses.”
Once the firefighter went through the floor, all companies were pulled from the hotel and defensive operations went into place.
The fire destroyed the middle section of the building, which is considered a complete loss, according to Riding.
“We have two-foot void space between each floor which is where the fire was traveling, so we just couldn’t get to between the floors,” he explained.
The cause remains under investigation at this time.
