By VINAYA SAKSENA

EAST PROVIDENCE — A fire that broke out suddenly in a Rumford mobile home Friday afternoon spread to a second one and caused slight damage to a third as it was propelled by strong winds, the fire department said.

According to Fire Chief Joseph Klucznik, firefighters responded to several calls reporting a fire in the neighborhood at approximately 1:50 p.m. No residents were reported injured, but at least one pet was believed to have perished in the fire.
The cause of the fire was not known as of press time, and Klucznik said that afternoon that information on its cause may not be available until Monday. However, he said that the strong winds that blew across the area likely contributed to the fire’s spread.
“Without a doubt, (the wind) came into play,” Klucznik said. “It’s going to take a while to process everything.”
According to Klucznik, the fire affected a total of three trailer home units, all on West Drive, in a mobile home park behind the Patriot Cinema. The heaviest damage occurred at 20 West Drive, while 18 West Drive was also heavily damaged and 22 West Drive suffered relatively minor damage.
Residents who spoke to The Times said the fire broke out suddenly, requiring those nearby to move quickly to get themselves and others out of the affected homes.
Elena Bjurman said she was not home when the fire broke out, but rushed home from work when her son, Jaden Dominski, called to inform her of what was happening.
“I was working when my son called me,” Bjurman recalled. “He called me and said that the house next door was (on fire). I told him to get out of there immediately and I’ll be right there.”
It was apparently a group of neighborhood youths who first noticed smoke coming from one of the homes. One of those youths, Frank Gasparro, said he was outside the trailers talking to a neighbor when he noticed an odd smell and smoke emanating from under one of the dwellings. He said he tried to find a way to extinguish it quickly, but that the fire spread faster than he could have anticipated.
“In the five seconds that it took me, (the structure) caught on fire. I started yelling at everyone, ‘fire, fire.’”
Gasparro added that a man from outside the neighborhood came into the area and helped, attempting to put out the fire. Gasparro said he called for help, and that he and the other residents he was with managed to get away from the homes safely.
Gasparro said they had managed to save one of two cats belonging to a neighbor of theirs. The second, unfortunately, could not be located. A dog was also missing and presumed dead.
A Salvation Army unit was on hand to provide food and drinks to firefighters, and the American Red Cross was expected to report to the scene later. Klucznik said he was not certain how many residents would require temporary shelter from the Red Cross.
According to Klucznik, five engines, two ladder trucks and two rescue vehicles responded to the scene, along with the police cruisers and other public safety vehicles seen there. He said that mutual aid- in the form of additional personnel to man the department’s headquarters- came from the fire departments of Pawtucket, Barrington and Providence.