CASTINE – Fire crews from Darke and Preble Counties battled a mobile home fire on an abandoned property in the village of Castine early Wednesday morning. At approximately 12:45 a.m., emergency personnel from the New Madison Fire Department and Arcanum Rescue as well as mutual aid from West Manchester and Eldorado Fire Departments were dispatched to the area of 104 South Main Street in Castine, along with deputies from the Darke County Sheriff’s Department, in reference to a working mobile home fire.
Arriving crews found heavy smoke and flames coming from a mobile home located at the corner of South Main and West Cherry Streets and were quick to knock the blaze down and prevent the fire from spreading throughout the entire home.
According to Captain Duane Cook, of the New Madison Fire Department, the fire is believed to have started in the front of the mobile home before spreading throughout parts of the structure. Captain Cook also added that investigators from the Darke County Sheriff’s Department were called to the scene to assist in the investigation into the fire due to the fact that the mobile home was abandoned and no electric or any other utilities were thought to be in use at the property at the time of the fire.
Randy Clark, a neighbor of the property, stated the mobile home had been abandoned for several months and that he had just mowed the yard a couple of days earlier. Clark also stated he was aware of the Health Department having been contacted by numerous other neighbors due to a large amount of trash left behind and a strong odor coming from inside the residence.
The cause and nature of the fire are unknown at this time and will remain under investigation by the New Madison Fire Department and the Darke County Sheriff Office.
