Rural/Metro firefighters quickly douse trailer house fire

Rural/Metro firefighters quickly extinguished a fire at a home Sunday morning, saying afterwards that it could have been much worse.

Charly McMurdie, a spokeswoman for the Rural/Metro Fire Department, said firefighters responded to a call in the 2700 block of West 5th Street at 11:13 a.m. for a call of smoke in the area. The captain of the first fire engine on scene upgraded the call because flames and smoke could be seen coming from the windows, and the front door had burn marks.

McMurdie said there were several potential fire hazards around the trailer, such as tires and very tall trees, that could have been a much bigger fire problem and taken much more time to put out.

Another trailer close by had caught fire, as well as a car. The fire was contained and put out quickly before it could spread. McMurdie said no one was home at the time of the fire, but the family dog was taken by the Yuma County Sheriff's Office until the owner could be found.

McMurdie said there are several things that homeowners can do around their property to reduce the chances that a fire will start outside their residence. “Brushfire season is here, so protect your property from fire danger.”

Dead trees or plants should be removed, said McMurdie, trash needs to be picked up and old tires can be taken to Yuma County Public Works and the South Yuma County Landfill.

There are also sites online that will tell how to dispose of other materials on your property.

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.