A local man has been charged concerning a fire that affected multiple residences.
According to police, at approximately 4:00 a.m. on Thursday, the Newport Police Department, in collaboration with the Newport Fire Department, responded to a report of an active fire at Misty Harbor Condominiums, located at 26 West Narragansett Avenue. The fire was successfully contained with the assistance of several mutual aid fire departments including Naval Station Newport Fire Department, Middletown Fire Department, Portsmouth Fire Department, North Kingstown Fire Department, Tiverton Fire Department, Jamestown Fire Department and the Providence Canteen. Crews, in what was described as a heroic effort, contained the fire to 3 of the 14 units with only an additional 4 units affected by smoke and water. Once the scene was secured, investigators from the Newport Fire Marshal’s office, the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal, and detectives from the Newport Police Department began an investigation.
Following a thorough investigation, the State Fire Marshal ruled out electrical causes for the fire. However, a K-9 unit indicated a positive detection of an accelerant near the origin of the blaze…