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Salty Brine State Beach Status Report

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management today released the following update on the Saturday, July 11, 2015 incident at the Salty Brine State Beach in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

The State Fire Marshal's Office continues to lead the investigation. Investigators are now also coordinating with National Grid to inspect an underground cable at the site. There continues to be no evidence of a malicious attack or use of a device of any kind. Salty Brine remains open during the investigation.

"The public's safety remains our top priority. We are working with the State Fire Marshal and State Police to conclude this investigation as soon as possible," Director Janet Coit said. "We appreciate the cooperation among the experts, and are continuing to work with them to determine the cause of this incident. We also appreciate the cooperation we received from the people enjoying the beach on Saturday. Their efforts allowed first responders to quickly get to work."

DEM has also requested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to examine its condition of the seawall. The Corps is the owner of the jetty. According to a seismologist with the University of Connecticut, there were no seismic events that registered in Rhode Island on Saturday.

Colonel Steven G. O'Donnell stated, "The State Police are coordinating our resources with the Department of Environmental Management, Narragansett Police, National Grid, United States Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers. We have assigned resources from our Detective Bureau, and Troopers assigned to the Department of Public Safety are working with the State Fire Marshal to determine the cause of this incident."

Rhode Island State Fire Marshal John Chartier stated, "Members of the Division of State Fire Marshal, State Bomb Squad responded to Salty Brine State Beach at the request of law enforcement to investigate a report of an explosion. Members of the Bomb Squad searched the immediate area of the incident for any evidence of explosive materials. This search was conducted by screening the sand in the area, using explosive K-9s to search the area, as well as using chemical swipes that detect explosive residue. All of this testing was negative. Based on the available evidence, there is no reason to believe that explosives were involved in the incident."

Related links

  • Department or agency: Department of Environmental Management
  • Online: http://www.dem.ri.gov/
  • Release date: 07-14-2015

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