Fire guts mobile home; no injuries

CELINA - A mobile home east of Montezuma was deemed a total loss after it caught fire Wednesday afternoon.

Montezuma fire department chief Lee Braun said Mercer County Dispatch received a call at 3:34 p.m. of a structure fire in the 5400 block of Lakeside Drive at Lee's Landing.

Homeowner Kenneth Ridder, Natasha Thomas and two children were not at home at the time of the blaze. No injuries were reported, Braun said.

Firefighters from Montezuma, Coldwater and Franklin Township fire departments responded to the call. Braun said he called the St. Marys Township Fire Department for assistance after seeing the level of smoke at the mobile home. About six fire trucks and two county EMS vehicles were at the scene.

Braun was unsure if the dwelling was insured. A neighboring mobile home had a moderate amount of exterior damage and another mobile home had minor damage to the skirting, Braun said. Between the home that caught fire and the second home that was moderately damaged, Braun estimated the cost of damage at roughly $60,000.

The cause of the fire and where the fire started is still under investigation, Braun said, and no foul play is suspected at this time.

Braun said he contacted the State Fire Marshal to help with the investigation.