A Valentine’s Day fire tore through the third floor of a Gibbs Avenue home, sending two residents to the hospital and leaving a family displaced after 30 years in the same house.
Newport Fire responded at 8:55 p.m. Feb. 14 to reports of a bedroom fire at 41 Gibbs Ave. Crews arrived to find smoke showing from the third-floor gable windows of No. 43. A hose line was advanced from the rear of the building as firefighters launched an initial attack with a water can before a full line was in place.
Command confirmed no one remained inside. Primary searches of all floors and the basement were negative. Ladder crews ventilated the roof and dormers to clear heavy smoke as additional units, including Navy firefighters, assisted with overhaul.
The fire was declared under control at 9:31 p.m. No firefighters were injured.
Portsmouth Rescue transported two second-floor occupants — a man and a woman — to the hospital for smoke inhalation. One patient also suffered burns to the hands and arms. The Red Cross responded to assist four displaced adults, including one with a chronic medical condition requiring ongoing care.
In the aftermath, homeowner Sean Roberts said the fire started in his son’s bedroom and spread quickly into the walls before firefighters knocked it down.
“Tonight, our lives were turned upside down,” Roberts wrote in a GoFundMe campaign launched after the fire. He said the family’s walls and ceilings were gutted, and his son suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation. The home is currently uninhabitable.
Roberts, who says he has been out of work due to severe arthritis, said the family now faces temporary housing costs and extensive repairs.
The GoFundMe seeks donations to help cover housing, replace essential belongings and begin rebuilding. Community members looking to help can find the fundraiser by searching the family’s name on GoFundMe.
Fire officials are investigating the cause.
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