Brandon Twp.- A mobile home fire in the township last week was likely caused by faulty electrical.
Firefighters and deputies responded to the blaze at 5:15 p.m., Sept. 1, at 3713 Elm in the Sashabaw Meadows Mobile Home Park.
Fire Chief David Kwapis said the homeowner had left the single-wide trailer about 10 minutes prior and was mowing a neighbor’s lawn when another neighbor told her that her home was on fire. She ran to her back door and rescued one of three cats. The other two perished.
Firefighters extinguished the fire, which was coming from the main entrance to the home, in just a few minutes. Kwapis said there was ‘less than 25 percent involvement, but a lot of smoke and heat damage.?
The mobile home is expected to be a complete loss. The home was insured, but the contents were not.
The fire originated in the living room, where Kwapis said there were several cords from lamps and other electronics plugged into an eight-outlet device that was plugged into the wall outlet.
‘It’s never safe to plug multiple cords into one outlet unless you are using a power strip/surge protector is that is UL-approved,? said Kwapis. ‘The device she had was not a power strip… It’s important to not plug in too many things. Make sure the smount of appliances and electrical cords do not overload the circuit.?
Use of a power strip/surge protector can avoid complications in most cases, he added.