One dead in mobile home fire
Person found dead after mobile home outside Lodi engulfed by flames
A person has died in a fire that destroyed a mobile home unit on the 11600 block of North Ham Lane on Wednesday afternoon, according to Waterloo Morada Fire Chief Steve Henry.
Firefighters from Waterloo Morada Fire District responded to a report of a structure fire at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, in an area that is the northernmost part of the district, Henry said.
Initially, Woodbridge Fire was meant to respond from their nearby station along Armstrong Road, however, crews were out on another call at the time and Waterloo Morada responded first within about 10 minutes.
Woodbridge and Mokelumne Fire District crews were also dispatched ,as well as Lodi Fire by special request due to the large column of smoke that could be seen from a distance, Henry said. Twelve emergency personnel were on scene in total.
Upon arrival, firefighters made an aggressive exterior attack on the fire in order to keep it from spreading to the neighboring units. Flames were coming out of the doors and windows of the residence.
Multiple lines were run from two water tenders as firefighters drenched the walls and interior with water.
The flames were brought under control in about 15 minutes, Henry said, and no firefighters were injured while battling the flames.
It appeared that the fire started somewhere in the middle of the mobile unit as the walls were still standing on both ends, Henry said. The middle was burned to the ground.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Three occupants were reported to have lived in the home, two of which were not home at the time of the fire. However, crews could not yet step foot into what’s left of the residence as the floor was unstable.
“We’re waiting until we can go in safely,” Henry said. The investigation was expected to take several hours into the night as a San Joaquin County Sheriff ’s deputy arrived to look into the victim’s death.
Henry also noted that there were some oxygen tanks inside the home at the time of the fire. Residents in nearby homes heard many popping and explosive sounds during the fire.
Robin Eckerty, a neighbor who lives down the block, first thought that someone was burning food or using a barbecue until she stepped outside and realized that a nearby home was on fire. She and another neighbor called 911 to get help.
“These homes go up fast,” Eckerty said. She heard popping noises and said an older woman lives in the home and uses oxygen tanks, although she didn’t know the residents personally. There was a fear that when the winds changed some of the embers flying up from the fire would burn her own unit as well. Fortunately, firefighters were able to protect the nearby structures. No other information is available about the victim of the fire as it is still under investigation.
This is the second mobile home fire in the past week that Waterloo-Morada Fire District has responded to. Another fire burned through a single-wide mobile home in the area of 9400 N. Highway 99 Frontage Road at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The first arriving engine found home engulfed in heavy smoke with fire showing from the rear entrance. The 61-year-old occupant was trying to use a garden hose to extinguish the fire but was unsuccessful. The man said he was lying down in his bedroom when smoke began filling the room. He escaped through a window and fell to the ground. He was treated for smoke inhalation.
Waterloo Morada Fire District responded as well as Stockton Fire Department and the Linden Peters Fire District.