Fires apparently caused by lightning during a thunderstorm damaged houses in Providence and Glocester late Saturday afternoon.
"We were watching radar; we could see the storm coming through," said Providence Deputy Assistant Fire Chief Daniel Crowley. "From headquarters we could see lightning strikes all over the city."
At 115 Butler Ave., a large multifamily house across the street from Whole Foods supermarket on the East Side of Providence, a blaze burned through the eaves and into a loft at about 4 p.m., according to Crowley.
Nobody apparently was home at the time, but firefighters rescued at least four dogs.
Among those temporarily left homeless was tenant Louis Mazza, who said he learned of the fire in a cellphone call from another tenant.
"Obviously, I frantically sped down here," Mazza said. He claimed his two dogs, Bruno, 8, a chocolate Labrador, and Rusty, 9, a Pomeranian.
Although the cause of the fire is under investigation, Crowley said a lightning strike apparently is to blame. Water ran down into lower-level apartments, so the electricity was turned off as a precaution.
In the Chepachet section of Glocester, flames caused "some structural damage" and heavy smoke took a toll on a cottage deep in the woods, according to Chepachet Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Huestis. The fire was at 680 Chestnut Hill Rd., near Indian Trail, at about 4:15 p.m.
Huestis said firefighters believe lightning caused the fire. But they called a member of the state fire marshal's office to the scene to make sure.