Kern Valley Sun

A Southlake family was burned out of their home when their mobilehome in the 3400 block of Cholla Dr., Southlake, was destroyed by fire Thursday morning. The residents, two adults and four children, escaped to safety, but a pet cat died in the fire, reported Sean Collins, Kern County Fire Department spokesperson.

When firefighters arrived on scene at about 11:00 a.m., they found two mobilehomes positioned closely together, separated by an elevated walkway, with one part of the structure becoming fully involved in fire and quickly spreading into the other mobilehome. A fire crew made an initial attack of the fire from the exterior; a second crew made entry into the structure to check for occupants and extinguish the fire.

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Losses were estimated at $175,000.00 in property and contents. There were no reported injuries and Red Cross is assisting with the residents’ needs.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Collins said. However, open doors to a wood burning stove which was left unattended cannot be ruled out as a possible cause of ignition, Collins said. The Kern County Fire Department would like to take this opportunity to remind residents of the dangers of any unattended fire and that sparks from a fire may ignite adjacent furniture if not protected by a fire screen. Approximately 21 Kern County Firefighters assisted by a crew from the US Forest Service responded to the incident.