UPDATED 09/02 8:00 p.m.
A 17-year-old girl woke up to find smoke in her home. She then felt that her door was hot and got outside safely through a window.
Her instinct and the quick work of firefighters kept the situation from getting out of control.
Assistant Fire Chief Larry Schuh says the teen did everything by the book. He says, "She woke to smoke, felt the door was hot which is a very good thing to do." Schuh explains that opening the door would have exposed her to the heat and deadly air.
Her life was saved in a fire that took everything from her family. Late Saturday night a fire started in the kitchen/living room area of their mobile home and quickly spread.
While the girl got out quickly, work for fire crews was just beginning. One of the challenges firefighters faced with this fire was the wind. Because it was so windy, fire spread from the mobile home where the fire originated to another.
Neighbors could only stand by and watch and pray their homes would be safe. Jamie Gratton says, "It was the fact of the whole domino effect of it. Was it coming this way? Was it going to jump over the fence."
Thankfully for them firefighters train for these situations. Schuh says, "The crews that's one of their first concerns when you've got an exposure is get the line in between the house that's on fire and the one that's exposed."
Fire crews were able to control flames within 15 minutes and spare the second mobile home from major damage. Unfortunately, the first one was a total loss.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
We also learned that one cat died as a result.
The Fargo Fire Department says this is a reminder of how important family plans and escape routes are during a fire.
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UPDATED 09/02 2:20 p.m.
We now know that the person who escaped from the mobile home fire in North Fargo was a teenage girl. Fargo Fire Assistant Chief Larry Schuh says she awoke to smoke, got out of bed, felt that the door was hot and climbed out the window.
Schuh says she did everything she was supposed to in the situation.
Fire crews had flames under control within about 15 minutes, though the home is a total loss.
The fire started in the kitchen/living room area and remains under investigation for a cause.
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UPDATED 09/02 10:45 a.m.
Still no cause in the fire that destroyed a mobile home just before midnight on Saturday in North Fargo.
Fire crews arrived to find the mobile home completely engulfed in flames. Strong winds were pushing the fire onto the home next door.
Firefighters used their hose lines between the two homes to stop the spread of the fire from one mobile home to the other.
They were able to bring the flames under control within about 15 minutes.
Only one person was inside at the time, and she was able to escape through a window after finding the fire. She was taken by ambulance to Sanford hospital where she was treated for smoke inhalation. She is expected to be okay.
The fire started in the kitchen/living room area. The home is considered a complete loss.
The Fargo Fire Department reminds you to always make sure you have working smoke detectors on each level of your home.
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Shortly before midnight Saturday, fire crews were called to a mobile home fire in North Fargo at 3506 Casino Street in the Riviera Heights Mobile Home Park.
That is after the person living in the house noticed fire inside the home, escaped through the window and called 911.
Neighbor Arlen Griffiths, who lives just down the block, said, "Flames were shooting quite high up through the roof." Griffiths said he could smell the smoke from his home.
Firefighters arrived to a fully involved mobile home. They were able to knock down flames within about 20 minutes.
Fargo Fire Marshal Norman Scott said the wind played a factor in the fire as well, forcing one other challenge. He said, "The fire spread to the trailer next door because of the wind. It was only a little fire. Crews were able to get it out with minimal damage."
Scott said the person living there was taken to the hospital to make sure she was okay. Griffiths said she was visibly shaken. "She's kind of heartbroken as can be expected. She's very tearful," said Griffiths.
He added, "Neighbors are very helpful to one another. Everybody's going to take care of these people."
Investigators are looking into the cause of the fire. Scott said the mobile home where the fire originated is a total loss. He said the mobile home that caught fire because of the wind had only a little outside damage.
Stay tuned to Valley News Live for the latest on this story.
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