Baldwin County Fire Rescue responded Dec. 27 to a residential structure fire at an unoccupied single-wide mobile home on North Main Street.
The call was received at 6 a.m. that morning and firefighters arrived to the scene to find the mobile home, approximately 80%, involved with fire, according to Lead Fire Investigator Bradley Towe.
“Engine 17, Battalion 1, and a city engine assisted us with the call,” said Towe. “The home was unoccupied when we arrived. The family was out of town.”
It took about an hour to put out the flames. No one was reported injured, however, Towe reported it was a “total loss” for the home.
“The cause of the fire was a heat source too close to a combustible,” said Towe. “There was a space heater in the living room too close to combustibles.”
As of The Baldwin Bulletin’s deadline, Towe reported that he did not know of the best way yet to support the family affected as they had yet to return to town.
“To avoid fires like this one, give space heaters space. Keep them three to five feet away from everything,” Towe said. “The heat needs to be kept away from anything combustible.”