At just before 11:30 p.m. on August 18, a fire broke out at the Harborside Inn in New Shoreham, Block Island, Rhode Island, spreading quickly and silently through the building.
Block Island Fire Chief Chris Hobe was awake, 2.5 miles away, when the alarm went off at 11:23 p.m. A call came in about smoke seen on Water Street. Within four minutes, he arrived on scene to find thick smoke pouring from an exhaust fan on the first floor. As the fire spread, smoke began coming from the eaves. At 11:52 p.m., Hobe requested a second alarm, marking the first time mutual aid had been called on Block Island.
This was exactly the kind of scenario Hobe had prepared for during the previous winter, when he worked with mainland fire departments and local stakeholders to develop Block Island’s first mutual aid plan. If the fire had reached the neighboring Victorian-era wood-frame buildings along Water Street, it could have devastated the historic downtown area.
The Harborside Inn, originally known as the Pequot House and later the Royal Hotel, dates back to 1879. These 19th-century structures are iconic to Block Island’s charm but also highly flammable due to their balloon framing construction—where 2-by-4 studs run continuously from the foundation to the roof without fire breaks between floors. Once the fire reached the attic, there were no sprinklers to stop it.
Firefighters worked tirelessly to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings, some of which were already warm to the touch. Adding to the challenge was the island’s limited water supply—only 300,000 gallons stored, compared to the nearly unlimited hydrants on the mainland. With help 13 miles away, every minute counted.
The Block Island Volunteer Fire Department has only about 20 active members. Twelve responded initially, and more than 30 eventually joined, including junior firefighters starting at age 14. Two members used an infrared drone to spot hot spots, while others used radios to guide water streams through thick smoke.
As news of the fire spread, vacationing firefighters from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York rushed to help. Onlookers assisted by dragging hoses to Old Harbor, ready to draw seawater once fresh water ran low. Others moved propane tanks from nearby hotels to reduce risk.
At 12:23 a.m., Chris Myers, the Block Island Ferry’s port captain, was called to assist. He was asleep in Portsmouth when he received the alert. By midnight, a call went out to New England Airlines, and two planes of firefighters took off for the island. Meanwhile, other crews were transported by U.S. Coast Guard vessels.
Fireboats from Newport, Narragansett, and North Kingstown prepared to make the journey. Ladder trucks would have to arrive by ferry, a 13-mile trip that would take over an hour. At 1:30 a.m., the first fire trucks left Galilee, arriving on Block Island at 2:30 a.m.
By dawn, three ferries delivered additional resources, including two ladder trucks, two engines, an incident command post, and about 30 firefighters. More boats followed, bringing a total of 60 firefighters from 15 departments. The effort was massive, yet the fire was contained.
With no injuries reported, the 75 guests evacuated from the Harborside Inn were relocated. Many were in pajamas, leaving behind belongings. Police evacuated nearby residents, who found shelter in the National Hotel lobby and the Block Island School. Local taxi drivers and school bus drivers helped move people quickly.
Throughout the night, the water company superintendent monitored the municipal supply. Using too much fresh water would trigger a boil water advisory, causing further disruption during peak tourist season. At 3 a.m., firefighters switched to seawater, despite its corrosive effects, to avoid a secondary crisis.
Chief Hobe estimated that 3 million gallons of water were used to fight the fire. It took two days for the system to recover, but the town never ran out. By noon on Saturday, the fire was largely extinguished, and many mainland firefighters left on the morning ferry.
In the months following the fire, a coalition of departments met via Zoom to refine response plans, considering factors like weather, time of day, and transportation logistics. In June, fireboats and crews conducted trial runs to test equipment compatibility and ferry loading procedures. A tabletop exercise was planned for September.
Looking ahead, a new ladder truck is scheduled to arrive in January, and Hobe hopes to raise $10 million for a new fire station with seven bays. He also envisions a larger pump station in Old Harbor to better protect the island’s historic downtown.
