An overnight fire on April 12 in Maple Leaf Acres here destroyed two mobile homes and damaged four others.
Centre Wellington Fire Prevention Officer Tom Mulvey said in an interview that two trailers were totally involved and four others received heat damage, but that no dangerous explosions took place.
He estimated the damage total at about $200,000. There were no injuries and there is no indication how the fire started “at this time.”
Maple Leaf Acres Association president Bill Hornby said when he left the scene at 2am last Friday morning, firefighters were still there.
Hornby noted a resident had seen a fire and called it in to the fire department. “I was watching a hockey game in my trailer when I heard a big bang.”
Mulvey said there were 32 firefighters called to the scene and they fought the blaze for five hours. The station received mutual aid from the Guelph-Eramosa Fire Department.
Mulvey said there was a chimney fire at another location during the trailer park blaze that was handled by the Arthur Fire Department under their mutual aid agreement.
One trailer had heat damage to its vinyl panels, while the remainder had other visible exterior damage.
Originally Hornby worried about losing the entire street. However, firefighters were able to draw water from the lake itself via the nearby boat ramp.
None of the mobile home owners were home, as that section of Maple Leaf Acres was not due to reopen for the season until May 1.
Mulvey said, “The firefighters did a good job. Propane tanks were involved. They vented as they should through the relief valve.”
By Friday morning, the mobile homes were being fenced off.
“We have no idea what happened; nobody was around,” Hornby said.
The blaze remains under investigation.
– with files from David Meyer
