Are mobile homes more likely to catch fire?

• Fire

Charred belongings sit in front of the home of Duane and Bonnie Decker on Wednesday. Fire ravaged the mobile home, located in Heartland Village in south Dickinson, the night of Jan. 5. Although the Deckers were able to escape, the home is a total loss.

Talk about it

After fire totaled two Dickinson mobile homes in the past two weeks, the question of whether or not such homes are more susceptible to a blaze could be asked.

Are mobile homes more likely to catch fire and burn than more traditional houses? Dickinson Fire Chief Bob Sivak says no.

“The fact that these past two fires we’ve had were at mobile homes is a coincidence,” Sivak said. “Before these two, we had gone a long time without a mobile home fire.”

Sivak did say that a house fire in a mobile home could have the ability to spread faster because of the more confined space, but that a few simple winter guidelines will help prevent fire in any home in North Dakota.

“This is a time of year to be cautious,” Sivak said. “People use space heaters during the colder months and those can be dangerous. Just remember that they’re called “space” heaters so they need space. It’s also a good idea to make sure all exits are available and not frozen shut.”

Sivak added that care should be taken when lighting candles and using stove top burners.

“The big thing is just to be aware of what’s going on in your home,” Sivak added. “Taking the proper precautions and having a working smoke detector goes a long way.”

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