MEDFORD, Ore.– A mobile home fire early morning Tuesday has neighbors left scratching their heads and speculating how something could have happened when no one lived in the home. On Tuesday evening, an investigation was underway to figure out how.
While not much is known at this point, Medford Fire-Rescue said it answered a call about a fire in the Myra Lynne Mobile Home Park in West Medford around 1:38 a.m. Residents who were witness to the fire described their shock and surprise of flames and flashing lights that woke many from their sleep.
“I had fallen asleep and my son came down the hall and was yelling at me going, ‘What the heck is going on?!'” said Bob McLean, a resident who lived right next door to the mobile home. He described watching the fire grow but luckily it was on the opposite side of the house. “There was smoke just billowing out of the house it looked like it was just about ready to explode into flames.”
McLean says he was “a little concerned for the first five or 10 minutes” but once he saw all the firefighters working on the structure he said he felt much better.
Meanwhile, other neighbors also left their homes to see what the commotion was all about.
“The whole street was fire marshals and fire trucks and police and you know, it had almost all of Medford,” said Deborah McKelvey with a laugh. She said she lives across the street and came out once she saw flames and heard the firefighters battling it.
“The mobile home was in a blaze,” she said. “I mean a big ball of fire coming out of the windows and the roof.”
Crews were able to quickly control the fire within a couple of hours and only minimal damage to a neighbors truck. No one was harmed but according to Medford Fire-Rescue and neighbors – that’s because no one was living there at this time.
“I mean, I’m glad. Thank god for that,” McKelvey said. “But they got evicted and so I’m not exactly sure what happened. I can hunch but it’s not really fair, not knowing for sure.”
According to the Myra Lynne Mobile Home Park, the tenants of the building haven’t been in the home for several weeks. Eviction notices have been posted with one taped to the building yet again Tuesday morning saying the tenants had to move out by May 5. The mobile park could not comment on why the tenants were being evicted.
Right now, nothing is being ruled out by investigators but initial examinations did not reveal any signs of arson. Medford Fire-Rescue says it’s just as likely a utility issue could have caused the fire.
“[Investigators] don’t know yet at all what it could be linked to,” said Melissa Cano, emergency manager for the City of Medford. “Sometimes even in vacant structures while it could be perhaps someone passing through it also could be something from leftover utilities, things inside the home.”
Cano says that investigators are still going to take their time to rule out all causes but until they can thoroughly investigate, nothing is for certain. However, firefighters say there is no threat to the community at this time.
Medford Fire-Rescue hopes to have the investigation wrapped up in the next couple days and neighbors in the mobile park hope whatever they find, it can clear all of the smoke surrounding this mobile home fire.
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