Fire claims mobile home in Ash Grove, no injuries

A mobile home located behind Pennington’s Supermarket in Ash Grove was destroyed by a fire in the early morning hours of Friday, Feb. 28. Nobody was hurt in the blaze, but the structure itself was a total loss.
Anthony Monnig, fire chief of the Ash Grove Fire Protection District, said the occupant of the home was actually out walking her dog when the fire began.
“The occupant was at home, and her dog was whining to go outside, so she exited the trailer and was walking her dog and came back and saw smoke,” he said. “That’s when 911 was called.”
Monnig said the Ash Grove FPD received the call about the fire from dispatch at 12:49 a.m., and they were on scene in seven minutes. However, despite the quick response time, the fire was already too far along for the mobile home to be saved.
“When we arrived on scene, we had smoke from one end of the trailer to the other, and the fire was up into the ceiling at that point,” he said. “Therefore, the damage was already extensive right then. When the crews entered the structure … some collapse had already happened, so it was fairly well developed before we were able to get there.”

Monnig said the cause of the fire at this point remains undetermined, but also said the fire appears to be completely accidental.
“We did conduct an investigation,” he said, “and we were able to determine the area of origin, but because of the amount of damage, I cannot say the exact cause. I can say that there’s nothing suspicious about the fire.”
Monnig also said the fire showed the need for residents to make sure the wiring in their homes is checked on a regular basis.
“Be very, very careful with wiring in older homes or older structures,” he said, “and just … make sure that (your) wiring is up-to-date as far as being checked and appropriate for the structure it’s in.”
The Ash Grove Fire Protection District received mutual aid from firefighters with the Bois D’Arc, Willard and Walnut Grove Fire Protection Districts.
The name of the mobile home’s occupant is not being released at this time.