Five dead in Warwick house fire

WARWICK, R.I. -- Four adults and a 7-month-old girl were killed in a fire Saturday in a two-story single-family house at 343 Buttonwoods Ave.

Among those who died were Amanda L. Villeneuve, 21, who lived at the Buttonwoods address and was the mother of the 7-month-old, whom Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan identified as Annabelle at a 5:30 p.m. news conference Saturday.

The house is owned by James and Susan Wheeden. James Wheeden is the warden of the maximum security section of the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston, Sullivan said. His wife was identified as a former Warwick city employee. The Wheedens were out of town on a trip.

Also killed in the fire were Dan Janik of 388 Gaskill Street, Woonsocket; Nicholas Jillson, 24, of 14 Lincoln Drive, North Smithfield; and a 20-year-old woman who authorities did not identify pending notification of family.

All who died were on the second floor and were found unconscious and badly burned.

The fire was not suspicious and the cause could be released by the end of Sunday.

A man who was sleeping on a couch on the first floor called 911 at about 12:10 p.m. The first crews were on scene at 12:13 p.m. Firefighers encountered zero visibility on the second floor, where firefighters found the baby in one room and the adults in other rooms, said Sullivan.

The state fire marshal said the fire may have been burning for hours.