Contributed Photo/Courtesy Safford Fire Department: Safford Firefighters train for hot environments. It was this type of training that helped them early Tuesday morning as they battled a house fire in Solomon.
By Jon Johnson
SOLOMON – The volunteer members of the Safford Fire Department worked through the night to keep a house fire contained early Tuesday morning. There were no injuries reported to the occupants or firefighters.
According to Safford Fire Chief Clark Bingham, a total of 15 firefighters in three trucks battled the blaze, which was fueled by high winds. They were dispatched a residence off Main Street at about 12:47 a.m. and discovered the manufactured home fully engulfed. The two occupants had noticed the fire and made it out safely.
“Being the type of structure it was – they go up quick,” Bingham said.
Firefighters hooked into a fire hydrant about 152 feet from the residence and kept the fire contained to the single structure. The home, however, was a total loss.
After leaving the scene, one truck was called back after a neighbor noticed a flare-up, and it too was knocked down. In the end, the firefighters were on scene until 4:30 a.m.
“A lot of those guys returned to the fire station and got a shower, a change of clothes and they were out at work today,” Bingham said. “My hats off to them. It’s kind of rough when you have a night like that.”
According to a Graham County Sheriff’s Office report, the occupants noticed the power go on and off and then saw flames at the southern end of the house. A neighbor also reported hearing a pop and then seeing an orange glow.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Bingham believes it was likely to have been an electrical issue. He added that due to the severity of the burn and it just happening he could not give total confirmation of how it started.
The husband and wife escaped the blaze but did so with very little else. Bingham said they were able to stay with family for the immediate future.
“They discovered the fire and got out before they got hurt,” Bingham said. (But), they pretty much lost everything. They escaped with the clothes on their back.”
The occupants said they no longer had insurance on the home because issues they had with their previous insurance provider not wanting to pay to have their roof fixed after the freak hail storm that hit the area in October 2016. They canceled their policy with that company and then failed to get a new policy with someone else. In addition to their home, the occupants’ Jeep also suffered extensive fire damage, according to the Sheriff’s Office report.
If anyone is aware of any charity to help the family, post in the comments here and we will add it to the article as well.
