Crime & Safety
City Working to Rebuild Easton's Beach Restrooms Quickly
Meanwhile city officials are reviewing personnel procedures after the cause of the fire showed it was an accident waiting to happen.
Portable restrooms and a shower will be in place at Easton's Beach this weekend — just in time for opening Memorial Day activities in Newport and just days after a Monday afternoon fire destroyed a bath house.
City officials are already making plans to rebuild, with staff developing a plan this week in the hopes of getting approvals from the Rhode Island Interlocal Trust — a statewide risk-sharing pool.
Meanwhile, firefighters have completed their investigation and it has prompted an additional review of personnel procedures since the fire.
Though it was ruled accidental, it appears that it could have been prevented.
The investigation showed that staff was in the building staining railings on the second floor.
The workers were storing cardboard and drip cloths in the restroom so the cardboard could be used again the next day.
Storing saturated cloths and cardboard in a confined area is a recipe for disaster as the materials can become heated due to a chemical reaction. When in a confined space, the heat has nowhere to go and temperatures escalate, eventually reaching ignition point.
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