NK Fire Chief: Potter Road Fire 'Biggest Fire in NK in 5 Years'

Crews are still investigating what caused a huge fire that destroyed a 8,500 sq. ft. home on Potter Road early Friday morning. 

By the time the first company from the North Kingstown Fire Department arrived at 229 Potter Road shortly before 1 a.m. Friday, about half the house was engulfed in flames. The fire was so large that several other neighboring communities sent crews to assist – including East Greenwich, Narragansett, Warwick, Warwick, Exeter and Jamestown.

At the peak of the battle, about 40 firefighters were on scene, according to North Kingstown Fire Chief Fenwick Gardiner. One NK firefighter was sent to the hospital with chest pains. It was later found that he had suffered a minor heart attack while fighting the fire.

The injured firefighter and the rest of his shift had a busy Thanksgiving. According to Greg Pariseault of the NKFD, they responded to more than 20 fire alarms since the start of their shift at 7 a.m. Thursday. The Potter Road fire came in at the tail end of their 24-hour shift.

As of Friday at noon, the area of Potter Road near the site of the fire is closed off to traffic as authorities investigate the blaze. Gardiner anticipates the road to reopen sometime early Friday afternoon. At this time, the cause of the fire is unknown. 

No one was inside the home, according to Gardiner and Pariseault, but there had been reports that several homeless people had been living at the vacant residence. 

The home formerly belonged to Gary Anusavice, who was indicted in June on a $20 million Medicaid fraud scheme. He was arrested there in May. During the arrest, North Kingstown police officers and federal agents allegedly found marijuana throughout Anusavice's residence. 

It is unclear if Anusavice still lives at 229 Potter Road. In previous North Kingstown Police Department reports, Anusavice's sons were living in the residence while their father was in custody. In October, Anusavice was arrested on the marijuana possession charges from the NKPD. In those reports, he listed an address in Warren.

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