WHITEFIELD — A mobile home and a standalone garage at 221 Hunts Meadow Road were destroyed by fire late Tuesday night, but neither of the home’s residents was injured.
The fire was reported around 9:38 p.m. When firefighters arrived, the garage and a portion of the home were already ablaze, Whitefield Fire Chief Scott Higgins said.
Flames eventually got under the home and into its eaves, and an excavator had to be brought to the scene to help extinguish them. The structure was a double-wide mobile home.
The home was owned by Selby Landmann, who lived there with his spouse. It was insured, and they are now staying with relatives. Some dogs and a cat also made it out of the home safely, but one cat wasn’t accounted for afterward, Higgins said.
After the blaze was reported Tuesday night, firefighters were at the scene until Wednesday morning, but they were worn out quickly by the heat.
In part because of their fatigue, around nine fire departments ended up being called to the scene, along with additional firefighters who belong to a Lincoln County strike stream. They left the scene at 3:18 a.m.
“The extra call was for fresh people to come in and relieve people who had been exhausted,” Higgins said. “It was oppressive.”
Another complicating factor was that consumer fireworks were stored in the garage, which was about 8 feet away from the house. While that created additional safety concerns for the firefighters, it did not hamper their efforts, Higgins said.
The fire’s cause couldn’t be determined by an investigator from the state fire marshal’s office who came to the scene on Wednesday. It did not appear to be suspicious, Higgins said.
Charles Eichacker — 621-5642
Twitter: @ceichacker
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