The fireworks of the Fourth of July were shown up when a July 3 fire call included exploding 55-gallon barrels.
Fireworks were not the culprit, but burning garbage that got out of hand at the Pat Mentele farm. The fire spread through some weeds over to a shed and the Woonsocket Fire Department was called around 1 p.m. Firemen worked to extinguish the blaze and thought they had it out so headed for home.
Around 6 p.m. that evening the firemen were called back to Mentele’s, east of Woonsocket, after a 55-gallon barrel that had been filled with used oil exploded. After firemen arrived back on the scene another barrel exploded. Thankfully, there were no injuries.
Firemen succeeded in extinguishing the fire the second time around and it was kept from spreading to other buildings. The shed had been used for storage.