La Pine family escapes fire in manufactured home

12/26/2018 (Permalink)

A La Pine family and their pets fled their 40-year-old manufactured home unharmed on Saturday morning after a fire traced to recent electrical issues broke out in their dining room wall, officials said Sunday.

The La Pine Rural Fire District responded shortly before 10 a.m. to the reported possible structure fire with smoke in the 5200 block of Pine Forest Drive, Captain Fred Franklin said.

The occupants said one of the walls in the dining room of their 30-by-50-foot double-wide manufactured home felt hot and they noticed smoke coming from the wall.

Firefighters spotted glowing and light smoke coming from an exterior wall and made entry, finding an area about 1-by-2 feet burning near the floor and up the interior wall, Franklin said. 

An investigation determined the fire originated inside the wall and was believed to be caused by faulty or overloaded electrical wiring.

The fire district official recommended addressing all electrical problems immediately, by calling a licensed electrician. If a house fire breaks out, Franklin said residents should immediately evacuate and close all exterior doors to limit the fire's growth.

Source: News Channel 21