Fire destroys mobile home, damages 2 others in Fayette County

SOUTH CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — A fire destroyed a mobile home and damaged two others in Fayette County.

Emergency dispatchers said the call for the fire in the 2100 block of South Pittsburgh Street in South Connellsville came in around 4:30 a.m.

“It takes five minutes for a trailer to go up in flames,” said Chief Jeremy Grubbs of the South Connellsville Volunteer Fire Department. “It could have been a lot worse.”

Grubbs told Channel 11 a woman was cooking food on a stove and fell asleep, which likely sparked the blaze. Luckily, she was able to get out, along with two other families who live next door, but that woman lost everything.

“The process is just trying to bring calm to an emotional situation. People have lost what they’ve had their whole lives, and now they don’t have anything. It’s heartbreaking” said Debra Lambert, a volunteer with the American Red Cross.

For Grubbs, the call hit too close to home. His uncle’s house was damaged by the flames, so he knew he had to prepare for the worst.

“Everything just goes through your mind, knowing he has a family, two little kids in that house…” Grubbs said. “Smoke detectors save lives. That’s what happened here today.”

The American Red Cross was called to assist four adults and a pet.

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