Journal photo/ Frieda Squires
The house at 229 Potter Road, North Kingstown, was destroyed by fire early Friday morning.
NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- Firefighters are investigating the cause of a fire that raged through a single-family vacant house overnight.
Firefighters were called to 229 Potter Rd. at 12:48 Friday morning, Deputy Chief Philip Aldrich said. When firefighters arrived, Aldrich said, half of the two-story house was engulfed.
One North Kingstown firefighter was taken to Rhode Island Hospital complaining of chest pains. He was expected to be released Friday morning, Aldrich said.
Firefighters from Coventry, East Greenwich, Exeter, Jamestown, Narragansett, Newport, South Kingstown, Warwick and West Warwick helped.
The brick and stucco house, known as Villa Maria, was previously owned by Antonio L. Giordano, who last month was ordered pay $12 million to the federal government for diverting money from two failing nursing homes for personal gain.
The house was most recently occupied by Gary F. Anusavice, who was indicted in June in Connecticut in connection to a $20-million Medicaid fraud.
The original version of this story was posted at 7:37 a.m.