Daily Briefing: The inside story of how Block Island was saved

ALSO: 👶 'This was all a shock': When DNA test kits unearth family secrets, long-lost siblings Advertisement [eNewspaper]( | [Crosswords]( | [Horoscopes]( [Read in browser]( [Read in browser]( The Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Wed Sep 20 2023 Will Richmond | Managing Editor Communities & R.I. [@Will_Richmond]( Good morning, I'm Will Richmond at The Providence Journal and this is the Daily Briefing. Many people woke up on the morning of Aug. 19 to the news that a devastating fire had destroyed the Harborside Inn on Block Island. For many, the inn was one of those landmarks that welcomed you as the ferry pulled up to the docks to enjoy a summer day or if you were lucky a longer stay on the island. While fire tore through the building, it may have appeared to leave nothing but charred remains behind, but there was more to it. The response to the fire first pulled people from across the island together to do all they could to keep the blaze from spreading. That, along with the local fire response, was just the beginning. [Harborside Inn Block Island fire drone footage] A drone flying over the Harborside Inn fire on Block Island captured infrared images of firefighters battling the blaze. Block Island Fire Department From hotel guests to Block Island's fire chief to ferry operators, the Journal's Katie Mulvaney and Antonia Noori Farzan recently talked to those who were involved in battling the blaze, capturing the moments from when smoke alarms started going off to response calls going out and the hours it took to contain the fire. The interviews reveal not just an island that came together, but nearly an entire state, that awoke during early morning hours to find any way to get to Block Island and do their part to keep the popular downtown from burning down. Along the way, they also uncovered some incredible details, such as people rolling propane tanks like bowling balls down the street to get them away from the fire and firefighters taking minimal gear so they could board airplanes from Westerly. Not to mention what was done to make the day special for at least one bride who lost everything in the fire. [If you read one thing today, don't miss Katie and Antonia's story.]( This free newsletter is possible thanks to our subscribers. [Support local journalism with a subscription to The Providence Journal.]( WORTH A READ 👶 'This was all a shock': [When DNA test kits unearth family secrets, long-lost siblings]( 🏫 A former R.I. superintendent has been [put on leave from her position]( in Connecticut. 📰 Providence is full of great cocktail bars. [Vote to choose the best.]( [Today's Weather]( ☀️ Sunny and pleasant; potential for a tropical system to bring heavy rain early this weekend. Highs in the mid-70s. 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