Matunuck Oyster Bar, damaged in fire, did not have sprinklers
Fire officials said
The investigation remains ongoing.
'There is significant damage to the building,' South Kingstown Fire Chief Steven Pinch said. 'It's still standing, but between the water, fire and smoke damage, the structural problems are significant.'
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These new details come more than two decades after the state's push to create a tougher fire code in the wake of the
The
The building the Matunuck Oyster Bar was located in was originally constructed in 1946. Since owner Perry Raso purchased the property - previously a rundown restaurant - to open his oyster bar in 2009,
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The state
Fire Code requires a sprinkler system in places of assembly that hold 300 people or more. Matunuck had an occupancy of 222 people.
Despite additions made over the years, Bernier explained the oyster bar's square footage and occupancy rate were below the thresholds at which the state Fire Code requires a sprinkler system.
Related
:
Several other restaurants and hotels in Rhode Island have suffered damaging fires in recent years. The historic
Earlier this month,
Matunuck Oyster Bar was last inspected by local fire officials in September 2024, when they found about 20 minor violations. Each was corrected within the required
30-day timeline.
While no one was injured in the blaze, the fire comes as a devastating blow to
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two regular diners,
Dan Smalley and David Stine, aimed at helping employees and the rebuilding effort, has already raised more than $140,000. The Rhode Island Hospitality Association
Several building permits were recently pulled for future work to be done at the restaurant.
Laurent Fortin Jr., a master pipefitter with Buckley Heating and Cooling, pulled a mechanical permit on May 13 to replace two water heaters and work on gas piping that ran from an existing propane tank to the water heaters, according to documents filed with the town obtained by the Globe. The job would cost nearly $25,000, according to the permit. The work wasn't expected to be performed until June 14, according to a representative with F&S Electric Inc., the electric company that was supposed to install the project's wiring.
Anthony Santurri, an East Greenwich-based electrician, pulled an electric permit on May 20, the day of the fire. He did not return calls from the Globe seeking comment.
'Based on information collected to date by inspectors, several possible causes have been ruled out including commercial cooking equipment being a direct cause of the fire,' Matthew Touchette, a spokesman for the State Fire Marshal's office, wrote in an update on Thursday.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at
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