Newport International Polo Pavilion Burns to the Ground

The on Linden Lane in Portsmouth burned to the ground early Thursday morning.

According to Chief Jeffrey P. Lynch, the fire department received the call around 5:34 a.m. When firefighters arrived on the scene, the pavilion was completely engulfed in flames.

Lynch said it took about 45 minutes to douse the fire. Only a small portion of the structure is still hanging on.

Lynch confirmed that the structure was just about a year old. The 100-by-40-foot pavilion was abandoned at the time, so no one was injured in the fire.

The state fire marshal is on the scene investigating. Tiverton and Navy fire officials responded to cover the Portsmouth fire department during the blaze.

Fire officials don't know the cause or the origin of the fire at this time.

"They're just starting to investigate," Lynch said.

The Newport International Polo Series' first game is scheduled for this weekend. There is no information yet on how the fire will impact that event.

Patch is on the scene and will provide more details as they become available.