Fire Temporarily Closes Rhode Island Ice Rink

October 14, 2009

A Warwick ice rink will be closed for at least 10 days as workers check for damage from a sudden fire.

The blaze broke out Monday evening at Thayer Arena while rink worker Nick Denoncour was driving an ice resurfacing machine. He noticed the machine was smoking, then jumped off it as it caught fire. No injuries were reported.

Flames reached about 30 feet into the air and melted some of the ice. Fire officials said engineers will check the building for damage once the smoke airs out. It could take two weeks to replace the ruined ice.