Mobile Home Fire Displaces Couple

A retired plumber and his wife have been forced out of their mobile home after a fire ripped through the South Main Street dwelling Monday evening.

The blaze was reported shortly before 5:30 p.m. at 301 S. Main St. in unit No. 23, officials said. Of particular concern to firefighters was the proximity of two potentially explosive fuel tanks near where the flames were spotted when crews first arrived on scene.

"The two large propane tanks were our main concern," Botsford Fire Chief Wayne Ciaccia said.

But the response was quick from the , which is next door to the Newtown Village complex, allowing firefighters to extinguish the flames within minutes with no further damage to the tanks or adjacent homes. Crews from volunteer fire stations in town also arrived to assist.

Ciaccia said that in addition to fighting the fire from outside of the mobile home, crews later forced their way into the home to check to make sure there were no occupants and to douse the flames from inside.

Homeowner Larry Bailey and his wife were not in the dwelling at the time. He said he had gone to visit his daughter in Ansonia while his wife was in New York City. By the time he arrived home, firefighters still were blanketing what little remained of the mobile home in water.

Bailey said he had moved into the mobile home nearly two years ago, and in that time, had done renovations to the unit, including installing new siding.

Neighbor Jim Tomassetti said he was alerted to the fire after he saw the commotion outside.

"My neighbors were running around like crazy," he said.

Because his mobile home is mere feet away, Tomassetti said he grew concern that his residence also would catch on fire.

"I ran and got my dog," he said. "I thought my place was going down with it."

Tomassetti and other neighbors credited the quick response of the firefighters with limiting property damage.

Deputy Fire Marshal Rich Frampton said the fire appeared to have started in the utility room near the bedroom. He and the fire marshal would return in the morning to investigate further, Frampton said.

The home is uninhabitable as a result of the fire, officials said.

All that Bailey was able to salvage from the home was two boxes of important documents and some personal belongings he stuffed into a Stop & Shop bag Tomassetti gave him.

He needed only one bag, Bailey told Tomassetti as the neighbor brought out an assortment of plastic bags from which to choose.

"There's nothing left inside," Bailey said.