Fire destroyed a double-wide mobile home and its contents late Tuesday morning at Grand Manor Trailer Court, 3601 state Route 703, Celina.
Louise Coldiron, spotted flames coming from beneath a central air conditioning unit in the dining room area around 11:45 a.m. Cassandra Jacquay, Coldiron's daughter, also lived at Lot 23 with her parents and her five children ranging in age from 18 months to 13 years old. One child, a 12-year-old boy, is afflicted with cerebral palsy. Karen Hunter, a nurse from Celina Visiting Nurses who was tending to the boy's needs at the time, assisted with rescue efforts.
Jacquay praised the efforts of Grand Manor neighbors who came running with fire extinguishers, pillows and blankets. One neighbor woman took a crying toddler and gently rocked him in a swing away from the hectic activity.
Celina Fire Department arrived on scene at 11:51 a.m. with two trucks and seven firefighters. Department volunteers also responded. Fire Chief Doug Kuhn said, "There is no dollar loss at this point but those people lost everything. Fortunately, they have insurance."
The Mercer County unit of the American Red Cross rallied to the family's aid with lodging. They have two more nights in a hotel while looking for a home that is large enough to handle the eight-member family.