At least two dozen patients were transported to nearby hospitals after a fire broke out Thursday evening at a respiratory and rehabilitation center in Rhode Island, authorities said. The blaze, which started at about 9 p.m. at Genesis Respiratory and Rehabilitation Center, also displaced about 40 other residents due to water damage from the facility’s sprinkler system, WPRI-TV reported. It is unclear what facilities rehoused displaced residents. “Crews arrived on scene, made their way to the third floor. There was a small fire, but there were a lot of victims that were down on the floor, plus some people in the fire room,” Hopkins Hill Fire Department Chief Frank Brown said. The cause of the blaze is not yet clear and Brown said the State Fire Marshal’s office has launched an investigation into determining the cause. The building’s sprinkler system caused the alarm to go off and helped extinguish the blaze, which was contained to …