One killed in Newport fire

NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI) -- Newport fire officials say one person was killed in an early morning fire on Sunday.

Flames broke out at the Pineapple Inn on Coddington Highway shortly after midnight.

Members of the Newport Police Department tell Eyewitness News that a 55 year-old Rhode Island man who lived at the motel died in the fire.  The victim's family has not yet been notified and police are withholding his name.

Officials say they do not consider the fire to be suspicious.

According to neighbors, the man apparently fell asleep while smoking.  Two people attempted to rescue him from the burning motel room but were driven back by the intense heat and flames.  No other residents were injured in the fire, although one firefighter suffered a minor injury and has since been released from the hospital.

Red Cross members are assisting nine people - eight adults and one child - who were displaced by the fire.  Officials say one of the buildings that make up the motel complex has been rendered uninhabitable.