SUMNER – Fire destroyed an unoccupied mobile home in Sumner on Saturday afternoon.
Owner Gilbert Starbird said the blaze began when he was working nearby on his tractor. The machine backfired, igniting the surrounding tall grass.
Moments later, the grass fire spread to the trailer, lighting up the insulation. Starbird tried dousing the flames with water and a bucket to no use.
“Instead of trying to put it out, I should have tried salvaging things,” Starbird said, poking at the debris less than three hours later.
The mobile home was on the Bonney Road about three miles from Buckfield’s downtown.
“It was old, but it was in really good shape,” said Starbird, whose girlfriend called firefighters at 4:08 p.m.
About 20 emergency workers from Sumner, Buckfield and Turner answered the call, said Steve McGinty, Sumner’s assistant fire chief.
The mobile home was at the end of long driveway that was too muddy for emergency equipment to drive up close. As a result, firefighters had to douse the blaze using only their long hoses.
The trailer was a total loss, its entire framework reduced to cinders. An adjacent building, used for storage was also damaged.
The trailer was uninsured, but Starbird said he owned it free and clear. He did not give a dollar value for the loss.
And, pausing for a moment to look around – pointing out the site’s panoramic view of the Oxford Hills – Starbird said a valuable asset remains.
“I still have the location,” he said. “I didn’t lose that.”
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