Two men injured in mobile home fire

By Mary Manning, Jeremy Twitchell

Published Monday, April 13, 2009 | 12:44 p.m.

Updated Monday, April 13, 2009 | 2:08 p.m.

A fire destroyed a single-wide mobile home near Charleston Boulevard and U.S. 95 this morning and injured two bystanders in the process.

Clark County Fire Department dispatchers received a call at about 11:09 a.m., said Scott Allison, a spokesman for the county fire department, to respond to a mobile home fire at the Maycliff Mobile Home Park, 3601 E. Wyoming Ave.

Firefighters arrived at about 11:15 a.m. and found the mobile home engulfed in flames, Allison said.

One elderly man who jumped a wall to escape the flames suffered a deep laceration to one of his legs, while a neighbor who attempted to battle the blaze with a garden hose suffered from smoke inhalation and chest pains, Allison said. Both men were taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center for treatment.

No one was in the trailer at the time of the blaze, though fire crews did find the remains of a dog. Neighbors said the resident is in her late 80s, has lived in the park for about 30 years and was out running weekly errands with a friend at the time of the blaze.

The home was a total loss.

As crews cleared the scene, Allison said no one had been able to locate the woman, and Maycliff's management staff set employees at the entrance of the park to watch for the resident and pull her into the office to tell her what happened.

John Willets, who lives next to the burned home, said he was returning from the post office when he came around the corner and saw the blaze.

"I just ran around back and grabbed my garden hose to keep my place wet," Willets said. "That was all I could do at that point — the flames were coming out the windows by then."

Willets said he feels fortunate because although the heat of the blaze was enough to melt the plastic fence between his home and the one that burned, his house sustained no damage.

"I thought for sure I would see a lot more damage on my place," he said. "I'm feeling really lucky, but that only makes me feel that much worse for (the owner of the burned home). That's her whole life in there."

Allison said a preliminary investigation suggested that the fire began in the kitchen area at the front of the home and rapidly spread through it, but an exact cause had not been determined.

"These older (mobile homes), once they burn, they burn fast," Allison said. "We're very fortunate. Had there been a stronger wind, it could have pushed the fire and we could have had a domino effect. We've seen that before."

Allison said he appreciated the efforts of neighbors to save the home and help fire crews, but said it is better for the public to stand clear of a fire.

"We always want people to be safe," he said. "We never want people to be injured or, worst-case scenario, lose their life in one of our fires. It's best for them to just stand back at a safe distance and let us do our job. Our response time is very fast."

The lesson, Allison said and neighbors in the park echoed, was to be careful at all times when living in an older mobile home.

"If you live in an older mobile home, you have to be fire safe at all times," Allison said. "Whether you're cooking, smoking or burning a candle."

Lindy Wylie, who lived behind and down one lot from the burned home, said the fire created a number of close calls for residents in the immediate vicinity. Many are under a doctor's care, she said, and the man who lives immediately behind the burned home just got out of the hospital and is on oxygen.

Wylie said she went from door to door to tell people to leave and help them get out if needed.

"I just took my socks off, put them over my nose and kept going," Wylie said.

With her socks still in hand, Wylie credited a quick response from fire crews for preventing the fire from spreading to neighboring homes. As crews left, she applauded and shouted thanks to each fire engine.

"They got here quick," she said.

Four engines responded to the fire from Clark County along with a rescue unit and a ladder truck, Allison said. "A couple of units from Las Vegas also assisted with extinguishing the blaze," Allison said.