A fire Thursday morning that killed two dogs and destroyed a mobile home on Horseback Road in Anson probably was electrical in nature, according to the fire chief.
The fire at 703 Horseback Road was reported around 6:30 a.m. and started under the mobile home, Anson Fire Chief Jeremy Manzer said. The home belonged to Duke Smith, who lived there with his partner and her mother, Manzer said.
“They woke up to find there was smoke coming up from under the floor of the trailer,” he said. “Shortly after, the smoke detectors activated, and it woke up her mother. They went outside and saw the fire coming out from under their trailer.”
The cause of the fire appears to be electrical and probably will not be investigated by the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
The fire started in an area near where Smith had plugged in heat tape to warm the home’s pipes and also near their well water system.
“It’s very common. A lot of houses have burned because of heat tape,” Manzer said. “It just degrades over time and it’s very common for it to cause fires.”
No injuries to people were reported, but the family lost two dogs. Smith declined to comment at the scene.
The American Red Cross was notified. The family is staying at a motel in Skowhegan until other arrangements can be made. The home was not insured.
Manzer said it was destroyed.
“What didn’t burn we ended up having to destroy with an excavator to get the rest of the fire out,” he said. “Structurally there is nothing left.”
He also said working smoke detectors played an important role in getting the three people out of the house.
“Their smoke detectors were working and definitely saved their lives,” he said. “It’s crucially important that everyone has working smoke detectors in their homes.”
Firefighters from Anson, Madison, Norridgewock and Skowhegan went to the scene and were there about four hours.
Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
Twitter: @rachel_ohm
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