Fire seriously damaged a manufactured home in the Fir View Villa manufactured home park Thursday night, May 23.
Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District responded to space 8 in the park, at 4610 Main St., at 10:55 p.m.
No one was injured in the fire, said Fire Chief Dave Barringer. The residence had three occupants.
The fire originated around a small trash can under a counter top in the bathroom, Barringer said. Firefighters were unable to determine the cause.
The home sustained primarily surface damage, Barringer said, while the structural part of the home did not appear significantly damaged. He estimated roughly $35,000 in damage to the building and the contents.
The occupants stayed in a motel overnight, he said.
Nine firefighters responded to the call, and Police Officer Gerrit Southard assisted Battalion Chief Eli Harris in the initial attack.
Barringer said the new battalion chiefs’ incident command vehicle made a difference in stopping the fire. The brush rig carries 400 gallons of water, an increase from 250 gallons on the old rig.
“Our battalion chiefs, they’re on duty, they’re here,” Barringer said. “And they leave immediately.”
In the meantime, the district has a goal to get a fire engine rolling within four minutes of a call, Barringer said. To man the engine, firefighters must wake up, get dressed and drive to the station.
In the meantime, battalion chiefs roll immediately and are the first firefighters to arrive on the scene.
With that 400-gallon tank, “they’re doing a lot to keep it at bay, they’re able to hold the fire longer,” Barringer said. Police officers also arrive quickly, and sometimes, they are able to help.
The battalion chiefs cannot enter a building until other firefighters arrive, Barringer said, but they’re able to put water on the fire and keep it from growing.
In this case, the battalion chief was able to put water directly on the fire through an open window, knocking it down, Barringer said. That decreases the amount of time firefighters must be on the scene, and “we’re saving more property.”
That property may have smoke damage, Barringer said, but it may not have any fire damage, whether it’s pictures or something else – “that’s the cool part.”
It also decreases the probability that someone will be seriously injured or even killed by a fire, he said.