Wheel Estates Fire Destroys Mobile Home

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There were no flames but lots of heat and smoke when firefighters arrived at a mobile home fire at about 4:30 on Friday afternoon.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A mobile home engulfed in smoke and heat late Friday afternoon is considered a total loss, leaving its owners homeless.

Fire Director Stephen Meranti, speaking at the scene shortly after 5 p.m., said the fire appears to have begun in the kitchen/dining area of the home but the cause had not yet been determined.

The owners, an adult couple, came home to discover the fire. The Red Cross had been informed of their situation.

"We had a reported structure fire and we had smoke showing when we got here," he said.

White smoke was billowing from the older-model mobile home, situated on Alan Drive between Comanche and Cherokee drives and tucked in next to a line of large fir trees.

"There is extensive smoke and heat damage throughout the rest of the structure," Meranti said. "It doesn't take long for a mobile home to lose everything. It holds all the heat."

Three engines and North Adams Ambulance Service responded to the scene, along with the Fire & Alarm Division, National Grid and Berkshire Gas.

Firefighters were checking the roof and walls inside the building to uncover any hotspots and a fire watch was being set up. Most of the equipment was released from the scene by 5:30.