A fire destroyed a mobile home in the 10200 block of Hwy. WW in the Dittmer area on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1. The two adults and two children who lived there got out unharmed before firefighters arrived, De Soto Rural Deputy Fire Chief John Scullin said.
He said the De Soto Rural Fire Protection District got a call about the fire at 3:02 p.m., and the first De Soto Rural crew arrived at 3:18 p.m., followed by a Cedar Hill crew at 3:22 p.m.
Scullin said the home is near a De Soto Rural firehouse but that firehouse isn’t staffed and there weren’t many volunteer firefighters in the area when the call came in.
He said firefighters were told a child heard a noise when an owner lit the fireplace, and after that, the child discovered the back of the house near the chimney was on fire. By the time the child went back inside, the fire had broken through the front wall.
Scullin said the family left a door open after they evacuated the home, and he cautions others to close doors when they leave because oxygen feeds fire.
He said the house is unhabitable, so the displaced family tried to get assistance from the American Red Cross.
The Cedar Hill and Hillsboro fire protection districts and the De Soto Fire Department helped with the call. The Valle Ambulance District also responded to the scene, he said.
Firefighters remained on the scene until about 7 p.m., Scullin said.