By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

EAST PROVIDENCE — With swastikas and racial epithets being the link, East Providence Police and Fire Department officials are asking for the public's help in gathering information about two fires in Rumford that are now being described as “hate crimes.”

At a press conference held on Tuesday afternoon, East Providence Fire Chief Joseph Klucznik said that public safety officials became concerned about a connection between a fire that occurred last Wednesday outside of a commercial building and another one that was discovered on Sunday night at a residence less than a quarter of a mile away.
Klucznik called both fires “suspicious” and said that arson was involved. He said the East Providence Police, the East Providence Fire Department and the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal's Office are asking for the public's help in solving these malicious crimes.
Jack Chartier, of the RI State Fire Marshal's Office confirmed that the city has had “two very serious fires in the last week.” He said that due to the apparent first degree arson that was involved, coupled with racial connotations that were present at both scenes “put these at the top of our priority list.”
Chartier said that anyone with information pertaining to these incidents should call the Arson Hotline at the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal's Office at (401) 462-4242. There is also a reward of up to $5,000 for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for these crimes.
Fire Capt. Oscar Elmasian said that in the first incident, which occurred on Sept. 23 at around 8:30 p.m., firefighters found a blaze inside a trailer filled with cardboard and paper materials. The trailer had been pulled up to a loading dock at a commercial building on Patton Avenue, and the fire had spread to part of the building. The heat from the fire caused the trailer to break apart. He added that two firefighters were injured in the mishap.
Elmasian said that an investigation concluded that the fire was incendiary in nature. It was also learned that the exterior of the building where the fire occurred had been recently spray painted with swastikas. However, Elmasian said that the company had not reported the tagging incident and had just painted over the graffiti at the time.
Four days later, at around 12:31 p.m., the East Providence Fire Department responded to a fire at a house in the same section of Rumford. The call had come in from a neighbor who had reported an “outside burning.” Elmasian declined to provide the address of the house or the identity of the family, citing privacy concerns.
The fire, near an egress, was quickly extinguished but caused significant damage to the exterior of the single-family home, said Elmasian. On the side of the house was painted a racial epithet flanked by two swastiskas. Further investigation found that an accelerant had been poured on the house and it had then  been ignited.
A mother and her young children had been home at the time, but were able to escape the house without injury, Elmasian said. Upon questioning, he acknowledged that the family is of mixed race, and said they were obviously shaken up by the incident.
Police Chief Joseph H. Tavares noted that, given the time the fire occurred and the way it was set at a point of egress, “This could have been a tragedy.” He said the reason for the press conference and  the offer of a reward is to get the word out “in hopes that we can solve this crime.”
“Someone lit an occupied house on fire and made racial comments targeting this family. This type of action won't be tolerated,” Tavares stated. He added that on top of the penalty for first degree arson, where punishment can vary anywhere from a sentence of five years to life imprisonment, he is going to ask the attorney general's office for an enhanced penalty as a “hate crime” which adds an additional one to five years to a sentence.