BETHEL – The cause of Monday afternoon’s fire that gutted an older model West Bethel trailer may never be known.

That’s what State Fire Marshal investigator Daniel V. Roy of Auburn decided Tuesday morning after examining debris from the 1970s vintage mobile home on Robinson Hill beside Route 2.

“The cause is undetermined due to the extent of the damage,” Roy said. “There is a good probability that it was electrical in nature, because I’m unable to eliminate a malfunction of the electrical wiring of the building.”

The 12- by 64-feet mobile home was being rented from Phil Dougherty of Bethel by Roy and Linda Buck.

The fire investigator said Roy Buck told him that he had problems in December with a wall outlet when trying to plug in Christmas tree lights.

This is the second fire in about two-and-a-half-months for the Bucks.

On Oct. 28, the couple lost their Route 26 home across from the ball field just north of Bryant Pond village.

That fire, which displaced the couple, their daughter, granddaughter and a family friend staying with them, was ruled accidental by Roy.

Roy said he traced the fire back to a second-floor bedroom to remnants of a phone charger device.

“The burn patterns went back to it, so I think it overheated,” he said.

But Monday’s fire, Roy said, gutted the mobile home due to its metal roof and metal siding, which kept the fire inside for a long time.

“Due to the extent of the damage, a cause may never be determined. I have no red flags at this time, so I think it’s just a run of bad luck,” he said.

The Bucks are staying across the road with his sister, Sheila Bentley. Bentley said that the couple would be staying with her until they finish rebuilding their house.

“After the first fire, I let them stay on my land in the trailer, because they needed a place to stay. That’s what families are for,” Bentley said.

She said that her brother and his wife’s house in Woodstock was insured, but they lost everything except for a garage.

This time, however, they had no fire insurance and lost everything again, including the family cat, Fluffy, which escaped the Oct. 28 fire by fleeing to the garage, Roy said.

“Everything else can be replaced, but the cat can’t. It was their baby,” Bentley said.

She said that people who want to help the family by donating clothing can do so by calling 364-4132.