Published: July 15, 2008 07:24 pm      

Mobile home leveled in blaze

Somerset — A Pulaski County home was destroyed Tuesday in a midday fire that took over three hours to contain and extinguish.

According to Greg Abera with the White Lily Volunteer Fire Department, a mobile home on Short Cut Road in White Lily caught fire sometime around 12 p.m.

No one was at home when the fire started.

Abera said the fire nearly grew out of control after fire units arrived, and the brush bordering the rear of the residence caught on fire as well before firefighters were able to put the flames out.

Abera said other fire departments were called in to assist because there wasn’t enough manpower to fight the growing blaze.

“During the day, a lot of the volunteers are at work,” Abera said. “It makes it rough for volunteer departments.”

Michael Hewitt, an occupant of the home, said the fire had engulfed the residence by the time he arrived at the scene.

“It (the home) was fully engulfed when we got here,” Hewitt said.

Abera said the owner of the home, Jeremy West, was at work when the fire started. West owns two cats, but Abera said they had been put outside at the start of the day.

“Unless they snuck back in, they were out,” Abera said.

Abera said the home was “a total loss.”

“We don’t have any idea what started the fire,” Abera said. “When we got there it was fully involved and we couldn’t determine anything about it.”

Witnesses reported that the fire may have started in the front of the home.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The White Lily Volunteer Fire Department was assisted on the scene by Mt. Victory Volunteer Fire Department, Haynes Knob Volunteer Fire Department, Ferguson Volunteer Fire Department and Somerset Fire/EMS.