Early morning fire destroys trailer
The remains of a trailer destroyed by fire on Saturday. Fire Chief Mark Aamodt said that the structure was completely gutted by the blaze and has been declared a total loss. Photo by SHOSHONE COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT NO. 2
The second neighboring trailer that received only minor fire damage thanks to the quick efforts of the Shoshone County Fire District No. 2 firefighters. The two trailers involved in the incident were only separated by roughly 8 feet of open space.
PINEHURST — A trailer in Pinehurst has been declared a total loss due to a fire ripping through its interior Saturday morning.
Personnel from Shoshone County Fire District No. 2 were alerted to the blaze at 1:54 a.m. when the occupant called 911, saying that he saw flames. The occupant of the affected trailer was next door at a neighbor’s trailer at the time of ignition.
Upon arrival at the scene of 97 Grubich Road in Pinehurst, fire crews observed flames coming out of the windows on the living room side of the first trailer and minor fire damage on the second neighboring trailer as well.
With no human life in jeopardy, firefighters focused their initial suppression efforts on limiting the damage to the second trailer and containing the primary blaze.
“It melted some of the siding on the front (second) trailer and it did start burning some of the rafters of the covered porch on the front (second) trailer,” SCFD No. 2 Fire Chief Mark Aamodt said. “The initial attack was able to knock that down quickly and then concentrate on the rear (first structure) fire.”
With the use of two fire engines and a water tender, crews remained on scene for three hours until the fire had been extinguished.
While an official cause has yet to be determined, Chief Aamodt suspected the area of origin was the living room of the first trailer and that a wood stove may have been involved. He also estimated the fire had been burning for roughly 15 minutes before their arrival.
The first trailer’s interior was completely gutted by the blaze and the structure as a whole has been declared a total loss. The second neighboring trailer received only superficial damage to its exterior.
With no injuries and the neighboring structure saved, Aamodt was pleased with the work of his firefighters.
“The crews did a spectacular job,” he said. “There was only about 8 feet between the overhang of the front (second) tailer’s porch and the outside wall of the back (first) trailer.”
Aamodt stresses that those who use wood burning appliances should always be mindful so an incident like this does not occur elsewhere.