Mobile home fire displaces one

Firefighters from the Cloquet Area Fire District (CAFD) responded to a mobile home fire at 2813 Strand Road in Cloquet around 10 p.m. Monday night.

Division Chief Ken Klatt was the first firefighter on the scene, shortly after a call came in from the resident who had smelled smoke and then spotted flames coming from underneath the mobile home.

Klatt said the man was watching TV when he smelled plastic burning and the home began to fill with smoke. When Klatt arrived, he was able to knock down the flames using a fire extinguisher and keep the fire in check until fire trucks arrived.

At that point, firefighters from the Cloquet and Perch Lake stations extinguished the fire. Although fire damage was mostly restricted to the floor of the mobile home, there was also smoke damage.

The sole occupant of the home is receiving assistance from the Northland Chapter of the American Red Cross. According to Disaster Action Team volunteer Amy Arntson, the Red Cross is providing emergency shelter until the resident can return to his home as well as financial assistance for food and clothing.

Klatt said CAFD investigators were concerned that whatever caused the fire could be a factor in starting another blaze. Although he did not say the fire was caused by wiring, he did note that people should always check their electrical appliances to make sure they’re working properly.

“Also, if you have heat tape and other sources of heat to keep your pipes from freezing, they should be inspected regularly, at least as often as is recommended by the manufacturer,” said Klatt, who in in charge of safety and training at CAFD.

Red Cross Executive Director Judy Hanne Gonzalez had more cautions for the general public.

“While the weather is turning prematurely warm, we are still in the depths of fire season,” Gonzalez said. “We urge everyone to be especially careful with smoking materials, candles and space heaters this time of year.”

The Northland Chapter offers free fire prevention and preparedness materials and workshops to the community, she added.

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