Owner Jeff Richards was away when the 1:15 p.m. fire started, but his girlfriend, Cheryl Berginc, two other friends and two children at the home managed to escape the blaze. The names of the other occupants were not immediately available.

Dexter Fire Chief Jim Gudroe said the occupants reported hearing a pop in the back bedroom where the electric heater was located. When they investigated the noise, they saw fire coming from a nearby electrical box, he said.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office was called to investigate.

Gudroe said the mobile home and a 12-by-14-foot addition, which are located at the bottom of a steep hill, were a total loss. He said the owner had no insurance coverage.

The fire was a difficult one, Gudroe said, because an asphalt roof was placed over the mobile home’s tin roof. When the roof collapsed, it trapped the burning debris. Gudroe enlisted the aid of Steve Wilbur of Dexter, who donated his time and his pulp truck to remove the roof so firefighters could extinguish the fire.

Firefighters did save a vehicle and a garage near the mobile home.

Corinna and Garland firefighters helped Dexter crews at the scene, and Sangerville firefighters remained on standby at the Dexter station.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Thursday, January 03, 2008 edition of the Bangor Daily NEWS and is used here with permission."