Trailer fire forces best friends from their home

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An external fire that broke out on the deck of a trailer home on Eagle Crescent around 2 am Sunday morning has left a pair of best friends temporarily homeless.

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On Sunday, Fire Prevention Officer Andrew Hubbard was on scene and confirmed the entire roof was burned and the structure was not safe to enter.

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Resident Lee Erickson suspects arson, but officials declined to share the cause of the fire, as investigations continue.

“As soon as I woke up, the flames were already at the top of the ceiling,” said Erickson Sunday at 2:21 am as he and his roommate Sebastian Plante watched their home burn.

“I was in bed, and all of a sudden I saw the flames outside the window. I said ‘fire!’ so I ran to his room, punched a hole through his screen and we hopped out,” he said, referring to Plante.

Erickson said he suspects someone lit his deck on fire. He has struggled with drug use but has been clean for the last six months, he said.

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“I think people are spiteful of how far I’ve come within the last six months,” he said, adding that his neighbor across the road has security camera footage that should be part of the investigation.

Captain Vic Helin, speaking to The Daily Press from the scene, had not yet phoned Timmins Red Cross by 2:30 am, but Deputy Fire Chief Scott Atkinson confirmed Sunday at 10:30 am that the Red Cross was called to help Erickson and Plante .

Fifteen firefighters from Timmins and Schumacher responded to the call that came in at 2 am and no injuries were reported.

“When we got here there was a fully involved trailer fire,” Helin said. “There was nobody trapped inside and everybody was outside and accounted for.”

Atkinson confirmed Sunday the Timmins Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Division is investigating to determine the cause of the fire.

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