An overnight fire has left an 8,500 sq. ft. home on Potter Road in North Kingstown destroyed. At around 1 a.m. last night, the NK Fire Department arrived at 229 Potter Road to find half of the house engulfed in flames. 

The house was owned by former EG resident Gary Anusavice, who was indicted in June on a $20 million Medicaid fraud scheme. He was arrested there in May. During the arrest, North Kingstown police officers and federal agents allegedly found marijuana throughout Anusavice's residence. 

According to NK Fire Chief Fenwick Gardiner Jr., nine nearby communities sent crews to help NKFD fight the fire, including East Greenwich, Warwick, West Warwick, Exeter and Jamestown. (Click here to see Channel 10's video of the fire.) 

The cause of the fire is unknown. The home was unoccupied at the time of the fire and, according to Gardiner, was vacant.

Gardiner said at the fire's peak, 40 fire fighters were on the scene, including 17 from North Kingstown. Four fire fighters from East Greenwich responded to the scene with one truck and one rescue, according to EG Fire Chief Peter Henrikson. 

"It's a total," said Gardiner of the house. He was still on the scene at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Gardiner said it was the biggest fire NKFD had battled in five years. Single-family houses, regardless of square footage, are not required to have sprinklers.

One fire fighter was taken to Rhode Island Hospital as a precautionary measure, Gardiner said, because of elevated blood pressure. He had since been released.

Potter Road was blocked off to allow access to water the entire morning Friday. Gardiner said he anticipated the road would reopen by early afternoon.

The FBI told officials they would be arriving on the scene Friday to investigate. 

It is unclear if Anusavice still lives at 229 Potter Road. In previous North Kingstown Police Department reports, Anusavice's sons were living in the residence while their father was in custody. In October, Anusavice was arrested on the marijuana possession charges from the NKPD. In those reports, he listed an address in Warren.

According to public real estate records, the house is owned by AMZ Consulting, Inc.

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