Fire destroys mobile home near Millersburg Sunday

Two residents here escaped their home Sunday afternoon as an apparent wood stove fire set the structure ablaze Sunday afternoon.

The Millersburg Fire Department responded Sunday to find a single-wide mobile home off of State Road F "about 25 percent involved" in flames, according to Jason Bedsworth, Millersburg Fire Department assistant chief.

Bedsworth said that with assistance from Central and North Callaway Fire Protection Districts, the fire was brought under control in about 30 minutes, but an additional structure on top of the mobile home made it more difficult to completely extinguish the flames.

"Total extinguishment took us considerable time because of that," Bedsworth said. "I believe we were on scene four or five hours. The building is standing, but it is uninhabitable."

Bedsworth said they believed a wood stove was the cause, and that official results are pending following a state fire marshal investigation Sunday night. Bedsworth encouraged residents who use wood stoves or fireplaces to check their flues and have working smoke detectors.

A press release from the Heart of Missouri chapter of the American Red Cross states the inhabitants "escaped with only the clothes they were wearing," and that the organization met with them that evening to provide financial resources for food, clothing and a temporary motel stay, as well as hygiene kits and a referral to a local partner agency.