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Repair project ends in mobile home fire

The homeowner, who was not hurt, was tiling his bathroom when a water heater's pilot light lit fumes and gutted the home, officials say.

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published November 29, 2005

LARGO - Donald Bates began to tile his bathroom Sunday morning, another fixup project he had planned before selling his mobile home, neighbors and officials said.

Bates, 68, put down a chemical adhesive, which filled the small room with fumes. Then the floor exploded.

"It burned really hot," Largo Fire Operations Chief Rick Cody said.

Bates grabbed a fire extinguisher but didn't bother to use it because the flames had already engulfed the bathroom, police and neighbors said. He raced outside, drove his truck away from the carport where it was parked and called 911.

"The flames were coming out from everywhere," said Amy Robillon, 23, who lives next door to Bates in the Westgate Mobile Home Park at 14099 Belcher Road.

"I was worried about our house," Robillon said. "All it would take was one strong gust of wind."

The first firefighters arrived at 9:45 a.m. The fire was spreading fast, Cody said.

"I can't believe he got out of the place uninjured," Cody said. "He must have been really moving."

Firefighters got the blaze under control about 20 minutes later, he said.

By then, the home was gutted and most of Bates' possessions charred.

Neighbors gathered around Bates and tried to comfort him, Robillon said.

He told them he was getting the home ready to sell and had no insurance.

"He was obviously upset," she said.

Bates, whom police said was staying with friends, could not be reached Monday.

Investigators determined the fire started when the pilot light to the water heater ignited the fumes, Cody said .

He estimated the damage at about $25,000.

Cody advised people with gas appliances to be careful when bringing flammable substances into the home.

Good ventilation is key.

"It may be best to let a professional do it," he said.

--Jacob H. Fries can be reached at 445-4156 or jfries@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 29, 2005, 02:15:28]