Casper Family Displaced by Accidental Mobile Home Fire

A fire caused by an unattended appliance displaced a Casper family Tuesday afternoon, but firefighters say no one was injured.

The structure fire, reported at 14 Cacti Place in west Casper, was determined to have been caused by an unsupervised coffee pot. Due to smoke damage inside the mobile home, the occupants could not immediately return to the residence and received assistance from the Natrona County Burn Fund as well as the Natrona County Red Cross.

Firefighter Dane Andersen of the Casper Fire-EMS Department said in a statement Tuesday evening that the fire was first reported at 5:38 p.m. Initial reports indicated hazy smoke was coming from the mobile home.

The first crews to arrive found smoke coming from the front door. They quickly extinguished the blaze, which was found in the kitchen.

Five Casper Fire-EMS units responded to the incident as well as chief officers, an inspector, a Natrona County Fire Protection District engine, the Casper Police Department and an ambulance from Wyoming Medical Center.

Technicians from Rocky Mountain Power and Black Hills Energy also responded.

"Cooking fires remain the number one cause of home fires in the United States, and remain the number one cause of injuries related to fire," Andersen's statement reads in part. "Casper Fire-EMS reminds everyone to remain in the kitchen at all times while frying, grilling, boiling or using your oven's broiler."

"If using a longer cooking method, such as simmering, baking, or roasting food – set a timer using a portable timer, kitchen appliance, or an alarm on your phone. Keep anything that can catch fire – such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, and towels – well away from any source of heat," Andersen concluded.