By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

EAST PROVIDENCE — East Providence Police and other law enforcement officials are still searching for clues as to why a Molotov cocktail was thrown through the window of a side foyer at the Fire Station #3 at 30 North Broadway in Rumford late Tuesday night.

A similar bottle-type explosive was also found lying on a walkway outside of the Newman Congregational Church, located less than a quarter mile away, but police don’t believe the church was a target, according to police and fire officials.
“It was definitely a threat against the fire station,” said East Providence Police Detectives Capt. Walter Barlow. “We think the church was just an afterthought.”  He said that the second device was smaller and contained far less accelerant than the one that blasted out a window of the fire station. Police theorize that while it might have been tossed at the church, it could have just been discarded by the suspects, he said.
Barlow said that police have interviewed several witnesses and are still conducting an investigation. East Providence Police detectives are also working in conjunction with the State Fire Marshal, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Barlow said. “They contacted us this morning and offered their assistance,” said Barlow. 
According to Fire Chief Joseph Klucznik, firefighters in the station heard a loud bang shortly after 11 p.m. in an unoccupied wing of the station. He said the area, which has its own entrance and foyer along the Greenwood Avenue side of the station, is only used for training purposes and is normally kept locked. He added that the five firefighters on duty were all in the main part of the station and no one was injured.
The incendiary device had broken a glass window and triggered the fire alarm and the room’s sprinklers, Klucznik said.
He said that firefighters donned their equipment and got a truck ready to approach the explosion from the outside, but found that the fire had already been extinguished by the sprinklers. “We know the heat had reached at least 135 degrees to set off the alarm,” said Klucznik.
Klucznik described the device as a glass liquor or wine bottle that had been filled with some type of fuel and stuffed with a rag. He declined to say what type of fuel or accelerant was used, citing an ongoing investigation by police detectives.
Klucznik said he did not know if the firebomb had been thrown through the glass window or the window had been shattered by the explosion. He said the window contained 1/4-inch thick safety glass, which, while stronger than plate glass, is still breakable under certain conditions.
Klucznik said he did not yet have an estimate as to the cost involved, but said there was smoke and water damage. He said the wing was originally planned to function as a dispatch center when the fire station was built in 2002. However, a lack of funds has prevented it from being implemented, and the room is now only used for periodic training sessions, he said.
Klucznik said he was not aware of any type of threats or incidents that could have spurred the action at the fire station. He called the episode “upsetting,” noting, “Every single day, these guys put their lives on the line for the citizens of this community, and now their lives have been placed in jeopardy.”
The Rumford Fire Station, occupied since December, 2002, is one of four stations in the city. The main headquarters is in the center of the city, and there are facilities serving the Kent Heights and Riverside sections.
Although of recent construction, the Rumford station has been found to have numerous deficiencies which have been a source of contention and controversy among city officials and fire department personnel.