Blaze destroys mobile home at Pablo used car lot
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POLSON — A mid-day fire destroyed a mobile home at Alco Auto Sales, a used car lot at 57730 Hwy. 93 across from Pablo Quality Foods, on July 8.
No injuries were reported.
The fire was called into dispatch at 12:02 p.m. About 15 Ronan firefighters responded, according to Ronan Volunteer Fire Chief Mark Clary. Clary added that the Polson Volunteer Fire Department sent eight firefighters, an engine and a water tender.
The fire departments had to fight the fire from the street since fire engines and tenders could not penetrate the tightly packed vehicles surrounding the trailer. Clary said 250 to 300 feet of fire hose was used to reach the burning building.
Firefighters believe the probable cause of the fire was a candle, Clary said. The mobile home was a total loss, but no one was injured. Firefighters were able to save two attached mobile homes. Clary said he believed the owner did not have insurance.
None of the vehicles surrounding the structure caught fire, but Clary said he wasn’t as worried about the vehicles burning as he was the other structures and stacks of tires.
Temperatures were in the high 70s, and firefighters were extremely hot in their gear so getting water and fluids to the crew was mandatory, Clary said.
A group of neighbors watching the blaze said they had always wondered what would happen if the car lot caught on fire. They were also worried about smoke damage to their nearby homes and a motor home parked on an adjoining lot.
