Fire crews raced to New Way Supermarket on Elmwood Avenue in Providence early Friday after receiving a call around 2 a.m., with heavy smoke seen pouring from the building as the response got underway.
According to WJAR, firefighters were dispatched to the store on Elmwood Avenue overnight, and a photographer for the station observed heavy smoke coming from the building upon arrival. The station is treating the incident as a developing story, and details on what sparked the blaze, whether anyone was hurt, or the extent of the damage have not yet been released.
A Corridor With a History of Serious Fires
Friday's fire adds to a string of blazes that have hit buildings along or near Elmwood Avenue in recent years. A separate three-alarm fire at an apartment building on the same street displaced nine Providence residents, and two of them were taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, per wpri.com's earlier reporting.
Elmwood Avenue has also seen fire damage strike community institutions. A fire broke out during routine construction work at the Impact Center Providence building at 353 Elmwood Avenue, according to a report from ppsri.org, which noted the blaze ignited on the roof as crews worked on the structure.
Other Providence Buildings Have Faced Similar Damage
Fires tearing through commercial buildings elsewhere in Providence have led to structural failures in the past. A fire that ripped through a commercial building on Westminster Street caused a section of the structure to collapse and left it with significant damage, the outlet's earlier coverage found.
Earlier fires and city fire-safety context
Separately, WJAR reported that the Impact Center Church in Providence caught fire on Jan. 29, 2025, a distinct Elmwood-area incident from the New Way Supermarket fire. The Providence Fire Prevention Bureau says commercial and industrial fire-code standards depend on factors including a building's size, intended use and occupancy; that guidance does not establish whether New Way complied. The Providence Fire Department's 2024 annual report lists commercial occupancy as 11.1% in its breakdown of incidents involving structures by occupancy, a citywide figure that does not establish the cause or outcome of the supermarket fire. See the Fire Prevention Bureau's guidance and the department's 2024 annual report.
It remains unclear whether Friday's fire at New Way Supermarket will be linked to any similar outcome. No information has been released on the cause of the blaze, the condition of the building, or when fire crews might clear the scene on Elmwood Avenue.
