Pawtucket Mayor James Doyle said no one was seriously hurt.
The fire broke out at the former Greenhalgh Mills complex Friday afternoon. Winds gusting up to 45 mph spread burning embers to nearby homes. Hundreds of people within less than a half-mile of the mill were evacuated. On Saturday, city and state officials were unsure how many people were still displaced.
Brian Tweedly stood wrapped in a donated blanket Saturday as firefighters poured water over the charred rubble of his home. It was one of 17 destroyed or damaged. A red Mustang covered by a burned wall in Tweedly's driveway was about the only thing recognizable on the property.
``That was my mother's whole life right there,'' said Tweedly, 19, as he surveyed the damage. ``I don't know what we're going to do.''
On the other side of a fence, Earl Cook's home stood nearly intact.
``I think the good Lord had his hand on the house,'' the 72-year-old said. His garage was destroyed and yard charred, but the house suffered only minimal exterior damage.
The wind made it all but impossible to determine what path the fire would take in the surrounding neighborhood of densely packed homes and businesses, acting Fire Chief Richard Renzi said.
``Instead of burning up, it was burning across,'' Renzi said. Fire spread to homes up to five blocks away from the mill, while leaving an elementary school and other structures closer to the mill unscathed.
Investigators searched the mill site Saturday for clues as to how the fire started.
Fire officials did not know whether there were any hazardous chemicals at the mill, which produced acetate, a silky fabric used in linings for coats and dresses. The complex was set to be demolished to make way for a shopping mall.
Gov. Don Carcieri said the first priority of city and state officials will be helping the homeless. ``Some of them may only have the clothes on their backs,'' he said.
Cook was on the telephone Friday when he saw smoke in his back yard.
``I pulled my truck out and some tools and grabbed some envelopes I had with money inside,'' he said. Cook wanted to stay but was forced out by a firefighter, who city officials credit with helping save Cook's home.
Others were similarly spared.
``The fact my house didn't burn is unbelievable,'' said Steven Demers.
At the height of the fire, ``it looked like Armageddon,'' he said. ``There were flames everywhere.''
Tweedly, who said he used to break windows at the mill when he was a kid, raced home from work after hearing about the fire and saw the roaring flames shooting through his house.
``My pool burned, my basketball hoop burned, the garage and house,'' he said. His stepfather was able to save the family pets _ two dogs, two rabbits and a cat.
``Now the house is gone,'' Tweedly said. ``What else can you say?''
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