Five Ways to Prevent a Mobile Home Fire

Earlier this week, a Largo family of four, including a toddler, was displaced when their mobile home went . At the time, the family was not at home, so there were no injuries.

Mobile homes, for a variety of reasons, are much more susceptible to fires than a standard house. Largo Fire Rescue chief Tim Weedin, who also serves as a fire marshal for the city, offered five tips for mobile home residents to avoid a fire.

1) Good housekeeping: Weedin noted that fires in mobile homes escalate rapidly. He urges residents to keep a tidy home. "Keep papers put away and keep your aisles and doorways clear so you can exit" without hindrance.

2) Smoke alarms: "Everyone should have one smoke alarm," Weedin said, "especially at least one in the sleeping area."

3) Maintain electrical hardware: "That's a big issue for mobile homes," Weedin said. "That's where many mobile home fires start." Weedin advices having wiring systems and circuit breaker boxes monitored and maintained regularly.

4) Have a handy fire extinguisher: "We don't normally advice people to have a  fire extinguisher because people then tend to want to fight the fire rather than escape and call for help and they get hurt," Weedin said. But because of how quickly mobile home fires escalate, Weedin suggested it's a good practice to keep an extinguisher in the kitchen which leads to...

5) Be careful in the kitchen: "Use good cooking practices," Weedin said. "Keep the stove and ovens clean. Don't store things on the stovetops. Sometimes people store things on a stovetop and not realize a burner is still on or a stovetop is still too hot. Stovetops and ovens are not cupboards." ovens are not cupboards.