Essex firefighters doused a mobile home blaze within minutes of arriving at the fire Monday morning in Viscount Estates in the 100 block of Steven Court.
The blaze, which started around 10:15 a.m., destroyed much of the interior of the trailer. The front window was busted out, revealing a blackened interior.
Deputy Essex fire chief Dan Smith said an electrical issue is the suspected cause. Crews from the Essex and Gesto fire stations responded.
A family of four lives in the home, though only the two sons were in the house at the time. They both escaped without injury as did the family’s pet chihuahua Titan.
“I was sleeping,” said Keith Handy, 20, who was alerted to the blaze by his brother. “He came running in and woke me up. He said, ‘Hey, man, the house is burning down. You gotta get out of here.’ It was nice and casual. So I’m thinking I’ve got lots of time. I’m getting my clothes on. I don’t want to freeze.
“I open my door and all I can see is flames and smoke in the hallway. The ceiling was on fire in the kitchen when I was running out.”
Colin Handy, 18, said he first ran outside when he saw smoke pouring into his room. When neighbours said they called the fire department, he rushed back inside to warn his brother and find Titan.
“I ran back and started looking through the living room for the dog,” Colin recalled. “I heard him barking from my brother’s room so I opened the door, yelled at my brother to get out, grabbed the dog and ran out.
“It’s pretty upsetting.”
