Fire early Monday consumes home on Mollman Pass Trail

No one was injured during a house fire that consumed a single-story structure early Monday morning, July 16 southeast of Ronan

About 4 a.m., one of the two adult occupants was awakened by the sound of the fire, which started on the rented home’s porch. They were both able to exit the house safely, and they called 911 to report the fire.

Ronan Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mark Clary said the emergency call came into dispatch at 4:20 p.m. Within about 30 minutes from the time of the alert, fire units covered the seven-and-a-half mile distance to the house, located on Mollman Pass Trail and three-and-a-half miles east of U.S. Highway 93. Clary indicated that six units from his department responded to the call, with mutual aid from two Charlo Volunteer Fire Department units. When they arrived the structure was fully engulfed in flames.

“It was a good save, but there was a lot of water damage,” Clary told the Lake County Leader. “I would call it a total loss.” He indicated the property was uninsured, and the owner had no plans to rebuild.

Clary said the cause of the fire, which started on the front porch, was electrical in nature. Had the fire started inside the house, the couple might not have been able to leave the house without injury, according to Clary.

Upon the request of firemen, Mission Valley Power cut electrical service to the property. There were no other structures near the home, and no vehicles were affected by the fire.