By Terry Karkos,Staff Writer

BETHEL – No one was injured Wednesday morning when fire gutted a trailer at 421 East Bethel Road.

Bethel Officer Travis Fillmore said the fire displaced Tina Cropley, 23, and Scott Palmer, 25, and their two young children. The pair had been renting the trailer from Todd Kellogg of Florida, Fillmore said.

Douglas K. Hoyt Sr., executive director of the American Red Cross’ United Valley Chapter, said late Wednesday afternoon that the chapter’s disaster relief staff would be providing the family with food, clothing and lodging.

Bethel Fire Chief James Young said his department was sent to the fire at 9:31 a.m. It was 14 miles from the station.

Fillmore, who was first to arrive, said that Cropley had returned to the trailer to find smoke coming out of it, and reported the fire.

“When I got here there was a lot of smoke coming out of it. A fire had been smoldering, but there was no real fire visible,” Fillmore said.

Young credited Fillmore with keeping firefighters abreast of the situation while they were en route.

Fillmore said the fire didn’t reveal itself until after firefighters arrived, readied water hoses and were just about to enter the trailer. That’s when the oxygen-starved fire suddenly blew out a window. , he said,

“It created its own air,” Young said. “Flames were coming out the sides when I arrived.”

Young said the fire was electrical in origin, and began across from the furnace area.

The older-model trailer was a total loss, he said. Firefighters were on scene for two hours.