Firefighters take on a roaring blaze in the third-floor apartment at 575 Broadway in Pawtucket early Friday morning.  Photo by Phil Sullivan/wellinvolved.com

By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — A woman escaped safely before an inferno gutted her third-floor apartment at 575 Broadway early Friday morning.

According to Pawtucket Fire Chief Timothy McLaughlin, the first- and second-floor apartments of the triple-decker near Locust Street were vacant and the woman was the only occupant of the third-floor living space.
McLaughlin said that when firefighters arrived, heavy flames were coming from the top floor.
He said firefighters were able to contain most of the damage to the third floor, but that the woman’s apartment was a “total loss.” The woman, who he declined to identify, was provided assistance by the Red Cross in finding a place to stay.
McLaughlin said the cause of the fire appears to have been a discarded cigarette, but said the incident is still under investigation.
The fire chief added that a couple of firefighters suffered some cuts and other minor injuries in the blaze, but credited his crew with doing “a tremendous job” in putting out the blaze.
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