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House fire in US Warwick, kills 5, including 7-month-old baby

07 February 2010 02:23 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. A house fire that officials said might have simmered undetected for hours Saturday killed five people, including a 7-month-old baby and her mother, APA reports citing â€œAssociated Pressâ€.

Firefighters found the victims unconscious and severely burned on the second floor of a single-family house in a residential neighborhood, Warwick Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan said. They were called to the house just before noon by a man who was sleeping on the first floor after a late-night party, he said.

State Fire Marshal Jack Chartier said the blaze likely started in a gap between the first and second floor, or a gap in the second floor ceiling, and burned slowly.

The victims included 21-year-old Amanda Villeneuve and her daughter, Annabelle, who both lived at the house, which was owned by her father, James Weeden.

Weeden is the warden at the state’s maximum-security prison. He and his wife were away in Vermont at the time of the fire Saturday.

Two other victims were identified as 20-year-old Dan Janik of Woonsocket and 24-year-old Nicholas Jillson of North Smithfield. The name of a 20-year-old woman who was killed hasn’t been released.

Authorities said the fire was not suspicious, but declined to release its cause.