At just before 11:30 p.m. on August 18, an alarm rang out at the Block Island Fire Department. A fire had already begun to spread quickly through the Harborside Inn, a historic hotel located in New Shoreham, Rhode Island. The flames were hidden from view, making it difficult for firefighters to assess the situation immediately.
Fire Chief Chris Hobe was still awake, 2.5 miles away, when the box alarm came in at 11:23 p.m. A witness had reported seeing smoke on Water Street. Within four minutes, Hobe arrived on the scene. Smoke was pouring from an exhaust fan on the first floor, and soon, it was spilling from the eaves of the building. At 11:52 p.m., he called for a second alarm, requesting mutual aid — a first for Block Island.
The fire posed a serious threat to the historic downtown area. If it had spread to the nearby Victorian-era wood-frame buildings along Water Street, the damage could have been catastrophic. This very scenario was what Hobe had prepared for during the previous winter, when he worked with mainland fire chiefs and local stakeholders to develop the island’s first mutual aid plan.
The Harborside Inn, originally known as the Pequot House, later became the Royal Hotel, and is believed to have been built in 1879. Today, the elegant 19th-century hotels and restaurants that line Water Street are a major attraction for visitors, but they also present significant fire risks due to their construction style.
Built using balloon framing, these structures had no fire breaks between floors. A fire starting in the basement could easily climb up the walls to the attic. When firefighters arrived, the fire had already reached the attic, above any sprinkler systems.
Once all occupants had safely evacuated, the focus shifted to preventing the fire from spreading to neighboring buildings, some of which were just feet away and already hot to the touch. Adding to the challenge was the limited water supply on the island — only 300,000 gallons compared to the seemingly endless hydrants on the mainland. With help over 13 miles away, time was of the essence.
The Block Island Volunteer Fire Department has only about 20 active members. Twelve responded initially, but more than 30 eventually joined the effort. Junior members, as young as 14, helped out, using infrared drones to detect hot spots. When visibility was poor, firefighters used radios to guide water streams.
As news of the fire spread, vacationing firefighters from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York rushed to help. Onlookers assisted by dragging hoses to Old Harbor, where seawater would be used once freshwater supplies ran low. Others moved propane tanks from nearby businesses to reduce the risk of explosion.
At 12:23 a.m., Chris Myers, the port captain for the Block Island Ferry, received a call about the fire. He was asleep at home when the dispatcher informed him that a hotel was burning and that more fire trucks were needed. Hobe had already requested mutual aid, setting the emergency response plan into motion.
By midnight, calls were made to New England Airlines, which had served the island for over 50 years. Soon, two planes carrying firefighters were en route. Meanwhile, other firefighters headed to Point Judith, where U.S. Coast Guard vessels transported them to the island. Fireboats from Newport, Narragansett, and North Kingstown were preparing to join the effort.
By 1:30 a.m., the ferry was loaded with fire trucks and heading toward Block Island. It took nearly two hours to arrive, and upon reaching the dock, the first ladder trucks from North Kingstown rolled off. By dawn, three ferries had delivered additional crews, engines, and equipment. About 60 firefighters arrived throughout the night, coming from 15 different departments.
Meanwhile, the 75 guests who had been evacuated from the Harborside Inn found themselves without shoes or belongings. Police began evacuating nearby residents, and many took shelter in the lobby of the National Hotel, where blankets and pillows were provided. The Block Island School became an emergency shelter, and taxi drivers and school bus drivers helped transport displaced people.
Throughout the night, the water company superintendent monitored the town’s supply. Using too much fresh water could lead to a boil water advisory, which would disrupt hotels and restaurants during peak season. At 3 a.m., he ordered a switch to seawater, despite its corrosive effects, to avoid a secondary crisis.
Chief Hobe estimated that about 3 million gallons of water were used to combat the fire. It took two days for the system to recover, but the town never ran out. By noon on Saturday, the fire was mostly under control. Mainland firefighters began leaving on the morning ferry, and while the Harborside Inn was a total loss, no one was injured, and the fire did not spread to other buildings.
In the months following the fire, a coalition of departments from southern Rhode Island and Connecticut met via Zoom to refine the mutual aid plan. They considered factors like time of day, weather, and transportation logistics. In June, fireboats from multiple towns conducted a trial run to test response times and compatibility with local equipment. A tabletop exercise was planned for September.
A new ladder truck is expected to arrive in January, and Hobe hopes to raise $10 million with town support to build a larger fire station with seven bays. He believes a new pump station in Old Harbor is essential to better protect the island’s historic downtown area.
