FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO MOBILE HOME BLAZE

Human error caused a fire that destroyed a bedroom of a mobile home north of Cape Girardeau mobile home Tuesday night, East County Fire Chief Jim Hanks said.

Curtains in the Richard Roark home at 110 East Street on Route W caught fire around 7:45 p.m. after an electric blanket was left on its highest setting and a guitar and clothing were piled on top of it.

Roark stood shivering in shorts and socks outside his home as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. He held a cordless phone, snatched as he and his wife, Kristi, and the couple's 1- and 2-year-old daughters ran from the mobile home.

"My little girl and I were watching her Barney video when the smoke alarm went off," Roark said. "I saw smoke coming from the back bedroom and noticed the curtains were on fire. I shut the door and got my family together."

The trailer had been parked there for only two and a half months, Roark said. The home was insured.

His cordless phone rang while he stood outside. He didn't tell the caller he was watching part of his home burn, but calmly said his wife would have to return the call in 10 minutes.

"There have been so many things happening," Roark said. "This is just one more."

Fire Chief Hanks said the homeowner did the right thing by shutting the door after he noticed the room was on fire, containing the damage to one area of the home.