A Montrose resident was hospitalized for smoke inhalation following a mobile home fire late Wednesday night.
Two people were inside the structure when fire broke out shortly after 11 p.m., said Fire Chief Terry Martin.
“The fire started in the ceiling above the wood stove which was going at the time of the fire,” confirmed the Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue leader. “The investigation is complete, and the area of origin was in the ceiling where the stove pipe went through the roof of the structure.”
Twelve firefighters from Trail, Montrose and Fruitvale responded to the scene, located on Highway 3B in Beaver Falls, and had the incident under control in 30 minutes.
“Our crews knocked it down really fast,”said Martin, adding no utilities were hooked up prior to the fire. “They spent the extra time checking for hot spots and over hauling the roof area where the fire originated.”
The home is not inhabitable at this time.
Martin says fighting fires in a trailer park setting creates certain challenges.
“The older mobile homes were not built to today’s code, which allows fire to spread more rapidly.”
He reminds everyone who uses a wood stove to have their chimneys cleaned and appliances inspected on a regular basis.