Fire consumes Payette trailer
Officials say woman was lucky to escape blaze alive
By Jeff Ward
Argus Observer
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 10:36 AM PST
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| The bedroom of a manufactured home at 667 S. Park St. in Payette, is completely burned after water seeped into an electrical panel and caused it to short. The short led to a blaze that destroyed the residence. |
PAYETTE — A Payette resident narrowly escaped a fire that erupted in her home early Monday that was the result of the recent heavy snow fall.
Dorothy Horsley, 78, of 667 S. Park St., Payette, was asleep in her bed when the sound of the electrical panel in her room shorting out caused her to wake up and discover her house was on fire. Payette Fire Chief Jeff Sands said recent heavy snowfall was to blame for the fire.
“The snow that built up on her roof began to melt and leaked into the walls,” Sands said. “From there it made its way into the electrical box and shorted it, causing an arcing effect started the fire. The fire burned inside the walls and into the attic.” Sands said that Horsley, who lives alone, was lucky to get out of the house alive.
“A fire like that burns quickly,” he said. “It follows the wiring in the house and it was engulfed pretty quick. When we get these heavy snow storms people need to watch for leaks, especially in older homes and older manufactured homes like this one was.”
The fire department responded to the blaze around 3:40 a.m. and had it contained in about an hour. Firefighters finally put out the fire and returned to the station around 7:30 a.m.
Sands said the heavy snowfall can affect more than just homes. During the Christmas weekend, the fire department also responded to a collapsed carport that had given way because of the heavy snow accumulation.
“Remove as much of it as you can,” Sands said. “Clear away snow from around your house, and watch for large build ups on your roof. It’s important to know that when we get these big snows and then it melts fast. That’s when things like this type of fire can happen.”
