Woman escapes Gibson Co. mobile home fire unharmed; space heater blamed for blaze

GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — An elderly woman escapes with her life after flames engulf her mobile home.

“When we arrived the house, trailer was already on the ground, but the lady had made it out,” Gibson County Fire Chief Bryan Cathey said.

Off camera, Cindy Wheeler says she was sleeping in bed when her blankets caught on fire around 7 a.m. Thursday. Before she could make it to the kitchen for water and attempt to put out the flames, she says her entire bedroom was on fire so she had to get out of the house.

“The fire actually started in her bedroom, at the foot of her bed, by either a space heater or one of those oil-filled radiator-looking heaters,” Cathey said.

Chief Cathey says when a mobile home catches on fire, it typically only takes about 10 minutes before the entire home is engulfed in flames. Luckily for Miss Wheeler, she survived the blaze with no injuries although her home is a total loss. According to Chief Cathey, there were no smoke detectors in the home.

“In this weather, folks, you’ve got to have working smoke alarms — they save lives,” Cathey said. “Make a great Christmas gift, working smoke alarms make a great Christmas gift.”

Wheeler told the chief the cords on her space heaters had been over heating and she was just about to replace them. The Red Cross was called in to help.

The chief reminds us to use caution when using space heaters.

“Very, very dangerous time of year if you are not careful,” Cathey said. “If your space heater, if the cord is getting too hot, throw it away. Get another one.”

The Gibson County Fire Department is waiting to receive 200 free smoke detectors from the state. When those alarms come in, they will continue installing them free of charge.