Neighbors react to fatal Warwick fire

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - Neighbors in a tight knit Warwick community are shocked and saddened after five people, including an infant, are killed in a Saturday afternoon fire.

The fire broke out on Buttonwood Avenue just after 12 p.m.

21-year-old Amanda Villenevue, who lived in the home, and her 7-month-old daughter, Annabelle, were killed.

The other victims have been identified as:

1. Dan Janik, 20 years old, of Woonsocket

2. Nicholas Jillson, 24 years old, of North Smithfield.

3. A 20-year-old woman, whose name is being withheld pending notification of her family.

Neighbor Jackie Riccio was watching the scene unfold, and witnessed three of the victims' bodies being removed from the home.

Another neighbor, Diane Card, is a family friend. She told an Eyewitness News crew that they are wonderful neighbors and community members, that she has known for years.

Investigators say all of the victims were found sleeping on the second floor of the home, which had no working smoke detectors. They believe it is likely they never even woke up.

A 911 call was placed to fire dispatchers by a man who was sleeping on the first floor when the flames broke out. He was awoken when a piece of the ceiling above him fell. He was the only person to make it out of the home alive.

Firefighters believe the blaze started in the area between the first and second floors, possibly within a wall panel, but an exact cause is still unknown.

Officials say the homeowners were in Vermont when they learned the news, and have since returned to Rhode Island.

Stay with Eyewitness News for more on this story on Fox Providence at 10 pm and Eyewitness News at 11.