Fire engulfs 106-year-old yacht club

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) - Crews in Cranston were called to the scene of a three alarm fire at the Edgewood Yacht Club on Shaw Avenue. The fire broke out just before 4 a.m. Wednesday.

Several houses surrounding the yacht club had to be evacuated as a precaution, and fire departments neighboring Cranston were called in to assist in battling the fire.

Eyewitness News has learned due to the wind and size of the flames, fire crews were evacuated from the structure and were told to fight the fire from outside the building.

Due to the positioning of the building, firefighters could not get to all sides of the building and had to bring boats in to help fight the flames.

The Edgewood Yacht Club building is more than 106-years-old, and withstood decades of storms and hurricanes.

'It was such a beautiful building and it is so sad to see it gone. We were fortunate to view it every day, every season from our deck and will miss it. As former members, we enjoyed the facilities and friendship of many members. We woke at 4 a.m. to see it ablaze and the worst sound was the collapse of cupola," explained Kathy Lanni who lives near the yacht club.

"It's basically where I grew up, everyday. This is where I learned how to sail. I spent every summer here out on the bay in the 50's and 60's. It was a phenomenal place," said Bob Read.

Fire investigators have not determined a cause. Officials believe it will take several days until the fire marshal can make a determination.

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