There wasn't much to do in Warwick, RI back in the seventies. There was a pizza place on the corner where we used to hang out, just goofing around, smoking, joking and being stipid fourteen year old kids. The place didn't do much business, the owner ran out of money and hired a couple of older guys we knew to light a fire inside.
The guys lit the fire. The firefighters pulled their bodies out a few hours later. The owner of the building was charged with first degree murder. I don't know what happened to him, but I know exactly what happened to the guys that started the fire.
There's a park there now, nothing much, a few benches and a path. There's no mention of the dead, no plaque, no tree planted in their memory, nothing but grass, trees and flowers in the spring.
In all of the years that have gone by, I've never seen any kids with nothing to do there. Not once.
Two teens arrested, charged in fire
Both being held at the training school
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Two teenagers have been arrested and charged in connection with a fire that was deemed suspicious in Providence.
The two teenage suspects, one who's from Providence, the other from Pawtucket, are being held at the training school and have been charged with breaking and entering and arson.
Crews were called to Branch Avenue at 6:45 p.m. Monday, after a fire broke out in a building. Firefighters found the two boys inside the building covered in soot, and helped them get out of the building.
"They made some admissions to us. They told us they had gone into the building and were looking for some valuables, just scavenging, they were going to take anything they could find that they thought was valuable that they thought they could re-sell. While they were in there at some point they decided for some reason to light a fire for whatever reason and the fire got away from them," said Major Thomas Oates.
Officials say the fire started on the second floor and was contained to a vacant section of the former mill.
Firefighters said the high winds were also a factor in putting out the flames.
“They were huge flames. There were some good flames. Black smoke, a lot of black smoke,” said Skip Potter, an eyewitness.
"Anyone who lights a fire the outcome is completely unpredictable. All these mills are dangerous, they are large in nature and plus they put the firefighters in jeopardy – obviously these firefighters have to go and responds and rescue these people and go into these circumstances."
Crews were on scene for about and hour and a half.
As Forest Gump would say ‘stupid is as stupid does’, and this is further proof!