JEFFERSON — The smell of burnt plastic hung in the air outside a mobile home at 1351 South Clary Road Monday afternoon, following a fire that broke out in the bathroom.
No one was injured in the fire, which the homeowners said they noticed after a smoke alarm started going off. After initially trying to put out the fire with an extinguisher and a gardening hose, the owners, Enos Webster Jr. and Julie Webster, left the home and called the local fire department around 12:50 p.m.
“Once the black smoke started rolling, that was it,” said Enos, who was at the scene Monday. “I couldn’t see anything.”
A half-dozen area fire departments went to the scene and were able to contain the damage to the bathroom, said Jefferson Fire Chief Walter Morris, who didn’t immediately know the cause of the blaze but said the Office of the State Marshal would respond to investigate.
The home is insured, and the Websters live there with their 18-year-old son, Cody. Enos Webster Jr. said the fire may have been caused by an unattended cigarette.
The family will stay in a recreational vehicle outside their home as they figure out what they can repair, Enos Webster Jr. said.
The smell lingering in the air after the fire was probably from the damage to the bathroom, which included a fiberglass tub and plastic objects, Morris said, but the home was tested for toxic gases and found to be safe.
“It’s a little stinkier than most,” he said of the fire.
Morris credited the Websters for having working fire detectors and knowing when to leave the home.
Enos Webster Jr. said he appreciated how quickly firefighters made it to the scene.
“Within 10 minutes, Jefferson (firefighters) and the others were here,” he said. “Everyone who showed up did a good job.”
Charles Eichacker — 621-5642
Twitter: @ceichacker
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