UPI

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. — Seven firefighters were hospitalized Thursday for exposure to cyanide while they were battling a blaze at a Rhode Island boat-building company.

Portsmouth Fire Chief Jeffrey Lynch told The Providence Journal the source of the cyanide had not been determined. He said he ordered firefighters out of New England Boatworks after a roof in one of the buildings caved in, almost trapping four firefighters.

The injured firefighters were from the nearby Navy base.

The four-alarm fire at the company, which builds custom boats, was reported at about 5 a.m. Some of the 100 employees saw smoke rising over Aquidneck Island as they drove to work.

The company is located in several Quonset huts. Lynch said the blaze was confined to New England Boatworks and did not spread to nearby buildings used by other businesses.

Firefighters from Bristol and Newport and a hazmat team from East Providence were called in, and marine units were on hand to provide water for the firefighting operation.

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