Fire destroyed a mobile home at Stoneybrook South Mobile Home Park in Brainerd early Thursday, Dec. 24.
The Brainerd Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire just before 4 a.m. on Kari Lane. The caller reported the home was engulfed in flames.
When firefighters arrived, the fire was also spreading to two vehicles and the neighbor’s house. Two occupants from the main structure on fire had evacuated, and police evacuated surrounding houses.
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Firefighters were on scene for about two and a half hours, battling a fast-moving fire due to strong winds, Fire Chief Tim Holmes said in an email Thursday. The below-zero temperatures also made the situation challenging, he said. The National Weather Service reported an air temperature of 6 degrees below zero at 3:53 a.m. Thursday, with a windchill of 27 degrees below zero.
Neighbor Brandi Peek said she awoke to the sound of a bang and then smelled smoke.
"I opened up my window and everything was like orange," Peek said. "As soon as I started getting everyone up in the house, I walked out the door and the police were already at my door telling me I needed to leave. The smoke was like really thick. There was embers flying everywhere."
Peek said she drove down the road and waited, praying her home wouldn't also catch fire. She counted herself lucky, she said, the fire did not spread, although it did cause some moderate damage from the fire and heat, Holmes said.
Holmes said the fire started when one of the occupants had accidentally lit bedding on fire with a cigarette. They attempted to get the bedding and mattress out of the house but were unable to get it fully outside.
North Memorial Ambulance treated the male occupant of the house for minor burn injuries at the scene.
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The home is a total loss, and the American Red Cross is assisting the residents. Surrounding neighbors were able to return to their homes within an hour.
The Brainerd Police Department and North Memorial Health Ambulance assisted at the scene.
