A fire gutted a mobile home in Colbert County on Monday morning. Just after 8:30 a.m., the Leighton Fire Department, assisted by the Muscle Shoals Fire Department, arrived to find it engulfed in large flames and thick smoke. Fortunately, the man who lives in the mobile home wasn't hurt. Fire officials hope the fire reminds people to be very careful as the temperature drops and they begin to heat their homes.
Heavy smoke surrounded firefighters as they battled the flames taking over the mobile home on Gordon Bailey Trail in Colbert County. The fire showed no mercy. In the end, very little of the home is left intact.
The state fire marshal's office is investigating the fire. It will likely be several days before it's cool enough for investigators to go inside the mobile home. At this point, they haven't said what caused it, but a kerosene heater found at the scene could be a contributing factor.
Donald Ray Coons, a fire prevention officer with the Muscle Shoals Fire Department, says people should be very careful when using kerosene heaters. The first rule is to never fill it with gasoline.
"When you go to refill your heater, do it outdoors," says Coons. "Let the heater cool down first before you put more fuel in it, because you're asking for trouble if it's still hot and you go to fuel it up."
Coons recommends storing the kerosene in a secure container away from the house. Coons also warns people about not properly checking their heating equipment and misusing space heaters.
"People have a bad problem of taking a space heater and hooking it up to an extension cord because their chair or bed may not be close to an outlet," explains Coons. "Space heaters are made to be plugged into a wall outlet. By using an extension cord, you're asking for problems. The space heaters can overheat and cause a fire."
Coons says space heaters should also be UL Certified and kept three feet away from any combustible material.
The National Fire Protection Association offers the following heating safety tips:
Heavy smoke surrounded firefighters as they battled the flames taking over the mobile home on Gordon Bailey Trail in Colbert County. The fire showed no mercy. In the end, very little of the home is left intact.
The state fire marshal's office is investigating the fire. It will likely be several days before it's cool enough for investigators to go inside the mobile home. At this point, they haven't said what caused it, but a kerosene heater found at the scene could be a contributing factor.
Donald Ray Coons, a fire prevention officer with the Muscle Shoals Fire Department, says people should be very careful when using kerosene heaters. The first rule is to never fill it with gasoline.
"When you go to refill your heater, do it outdoors," says Coons. "Let the heater cool down first before you put more fuel in it, because you're asking for trouble if it's still hot and you go to fuel it up."
Coons recommends storing the kerosene in a secure container away from the house. Coons also warns people about not properly checking their heating equipment and misusing space heaters.
"People have a bad problem of taking a space heater and hooking it up to an extension cord because their chair or bed may not be close to an outlet," explains Coons. "Space heaters are made to be plugged into a wall outlet. By using an extension cord, you're asking for problems. The space heaters can overheat and cause a fire."
Coons says space heaters should also be UL Certified and kept three feet away from any combustible material.
The National Fire Protection Association offers the following heating safety tips:
- Only use heating equipment that has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.
- Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year.
- Never use your oven for heating.
- Install and maintain carbon monoxide (CO) alarms to avoid the risk of CO poisoning.
- Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms monthly during the winter.
