Five occupants of a manufactured home on Marks Ridge escaped a fire that severely damaged the structure early Friday morning, March 21.
Sweet Home firefighters responded a
At approximately 07:11 to 41900 Marks Ridge Drive to find flames and heavy smoke coming from a bedroom window and through the roof near the back of the manufactured home on the property.
The five residents were outside and stated that they were in the structure when the fire started in a back bedroom. Two of the residents stated that there was no power to the home and they were in the living room when one noticed flames and smoke coming from the unoccupied bedroom. They woke up the other residents in the house, gathered their pets and made their escape before the structure was completely filled with heavy smoke.
Assured that no one was in the home, firefighters checked that all doors and windows were closed and started extinguishing the main fire from the outside through a burned-out bedroom window. Once a water tender arrived on scene and the majority of the fire was knocked down, firefighters made entry through the front door and fully extinguished the remainder of the fire. While there was heavy smoke and heat damage throughout the structure, the most severe fire damage was limited to the corner of the home where the initial fire started and was successfully prevented from extending through the attic space to other rooms.
A total of 10 firefighters responded on three firefighting apparatus and one medic unit.
The extent of the fire spread could have been much worse had the residents not closed all of the doors after escaping the structure, helping to limit the oxygen available to the fire.
The specific cause of the fire remains undetermined but is possible to have been started by a faulty portable charging device in the bedroom.