A dog died Saturday evening in a large house fire in the Hunter’s Island area south of Manhattan.
No one was injured as a result of the blaze, but the trailer was reported as “a total loss.”
About 25 Riley County firefighters responded to a fire at Jeffrey Jones’ trailer home on 11 fire apparatus with equipment to halt the threat. Upon arrival at 7:15 p.m., Fire District No. 1 crews found the home “fully engulfed in flames” near several other buildings and structures.
Deputy Chief John Martens said responding to the fire was challenging because of slick conditions and single-digit temperatures. He praised his first responders for their efforts.
“Our crews did an excellent job of stopping the fire at the building of origin and operating effectively,” Martens said in a written release. “While there was an unfortunate loss of a pet, we are grateful there were no other civilian injuries, and no one was inside the structure at the time of the fire.”
The responders had monitored conditions at Jones’ property for three and a half hours following the fire.
The fire district said in a written release the cause of the fire is undetermined and foul play is not suspected.
“We have a great crew that includes people from several generations all working together,” Martens said. “It’s always encouraging to see the young folks learning from veteran firefighters, then stepping into leadership roles themselves. I’m proud of our people and grateful they are committed to this work.”
