Early morning fire destroys mobile home at KOA park

An early morning fire Saturday destroyed a mobile home at the KOA park, but despite initial fears of firefighters, the residents weren't home when the blaze broke out.

Fire crews were paged out a 7:14 a.m. and arrived on the scene within minutes, only to find the trailer in Row M of the KOA park completely engulfed in flame.

Neighbors told the firemen they believed the owner of the home, Rubin Lopez, and his son, were inside. With their car parked in the driveway, firemen feared the worst as they began knocking down the flames and immediately sent in a rescue team to see if they could find any victims.

"We really feared for the worst," Fire Chief Phil Gridley said, but sending his firemen into the flames was worth it. "You risk a lot to save a lot," he said.

No one, however, was found inside. Gridley later learned that Lopez and his son had gone to a party at a friend's house the night before and stayed overnight.

"That probably saved their lives," Gridley said, because without a working smoke detector in the home, "if they'd been there, they'd have probably died" considering how quickly the fire engulfed the residence.

Gridley said the cause of the fire appeared to be a space heater placed too close to flammable materials.

Crews were able to completely put the fire out in less than 10 minutes, but not before the home was totally destroyed. Gridley estimated the loss at $6,000.

Gridley reminded all area residents of the value of smoke detectors, and urged everyone to check the batteries in their detectors to make sure they are working. One neighbor of the Lopez's, he said, who didn't have a detector in her own home, immediately went and bought one after the fire.

Fire crews assisted the Lopez family by donating $500 from their burnout fund to help provide them with temporary shelter and clothing.