A portion of the boards was charred and broken glass littered the floor late this afternoon but a fire that led to the deflation of the bubble rink at the Veterans Memorial ice rink complex off Phenix Avenue could have been much worse.
Firefighters responded to the rink after a report of a fire around 3 p.m. Officials said they have not determined the cause yet.
Cranston Fire Chief William McKenna said firefighters quickly got the blaze under control. The fire appears to have started along the boards near the front revolving-door entrance. The damage was limited to the boards.
In the charred damage, the remains of a mop and mop bucket were visible along with what appears to be butane or acetylene torch of some kind.
Fire crews working the scene reportedly "overwhelmed the system," McKenna said, which caused the deflation.
Nobody was hurt from the fire and the rink was re-inflated about an hour after it deflated.
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