Olivehurst home burns

Fire destroyed an Olivehurst mobile home Tuesday, displacing at least two occupants.

A mother and child inside the home in the 3900 block of George Avenue escaped the blaze and were taken to a nearby friend's house, said Olivehurst Fire Chief Steve Hart.

He said preliminary investigations suggest a faulty space heater sparked the fire.

When firefighters arrived shortly after 2 p.m., they found the home engulfed in flames, with wind pushing the fire across a metal fence and threatening a neighboring house.

Fire crews, including about 10 Olivehurst Fire Explorers - a group of mostly teenage cadets - attacked the blaze from the outside and quickly knocked down the flames before the fire could spread, Hart said.

Firefighters from Olivehurst, Linda and the Wheatland area were pelted with heavy rain for more than two hours as they scoured the charred wreckage, looking for hot spots in the debris.

Crews pulled apart several layers of roof that Hart said was added on to the home, each time uncovering a new set of small flames to extinguish. A line connected to a power pole at the end of the driveway, apparently connected to the home, snapped during the fire.

The fire caused about $29,000 worth of damage to the home and a car in the back yard, Hart said.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Daniel Thigpen can be reached at 749-4713. You may e-mail him at dthigpen@appeal-democrat.com.