CLEARLAKE PARK — A woman narrowly escaped injury after a fire ignited inside a single-wide mobile home without working smoke detectors early Monday morning, a fire official said.
The fire, possibly caused by a bathroom candle on a wicker stand, started just before 12:30 a.m. on the 3000 block of 10th Street in Clearlake Park, Lake County Fire Protection District battalion chief George Murch said.
Crews contained the fire in about 20 minutes. More than half of the mobile home sustained major damage, likely leaving the structure a total loss, according to Murch.
The home had three or four occupants but only a young woman was inside at the time, Murch said. The smoke appeared to rouse the sleeping woman, who made it outside without injury, he added.
There were no working smoke detectors in the mobile home, according to Murch.
Fire officials advise residents to change the batteries in their smoke detectors twice a year, recommending they do so when the clocks spring forward and fall back. Daylight saving time began Sunday.
Jeremy Walsh is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. Reach him at 263-5636, ext. 37 or jwalsh@record-bee.com. Follow him on Twitter, @JeremyDWalsh.
