An elderly couple escaped serious injury when their mobile home caught fire early in the morning of Dec 30, 2003. The wife woke up to the sound of a loud crash and saw what she described as, "a wall of flame coming down the hallway". She ran to awake her husband who was asleep in the back of the house and then called 911. The Linden Fire Department was dispatched at 00:26 hrs. The first due engine reported heavy smoke and flame coming from the structure. Automatic mutual aid from a neighboring department had already been dispatched as well. The first due engine verified that all occupants were out of the structure, secured utilities, and began an initial attack. The initial attack was made on the exterior to prevent fire spread to the wild land area and a travel trailer adjacent to the structure. Second due engines from Linden Fire and Show Low Fire arrived and attacked the structure making an interior and exterior attack.
The fire had spread to the attic space as well as under the floor of the elevated foundation. Heavy fire was still active in the rear of the structure where it had burned through the floor and ceiling. Crews from both departments were able to gain access to the rear of the structure and achieve fire knockdown. Interior crews began pulling ceiling to extinguish the fire in the attic space while exterior crews fought to contain the fire under the floor. Interior crews had to cut holes in the floor to extinguish fire under the flooring that could not be reached from the exterior. The structure sustained major fire damage as well as heavy smoke and heat damage throughout. It took crews several hours to extinguish remaining hot spots and complete overhaul.
Apparatus used was on this incident included, Linden Fire Attack 1, Engine 3, Engine2, Tender 1, 2, & 3, Support 1, and Command 1, Show Low Fire Engine 311, and Fire Command 301. A total of twenty-five personnel operated on this incident. There were no injuries from either department and only one minor injury to one of the homeowners. The cause of the fire is not suspicious but is currently under investigation as to the ignition source.
