MANSFIELD - A cat may have caused a fire that destroyed a mobile home off Longview Avenue, a neighbor said.
Joy Ringer, who lives next-door to the home on Winners Circle Drive, said she was told a cat knocked over a candle warmer Tuesday morning, causing the fire in a trailer.
Mansfield fire Assistant Chief Chris Speelman said smoke and flames were visible from Longview Avenue and Trimble Road when firefighters arrived.
Both residents, Angela Goff and her daughter Sarah Sessions, got out of the home safely. Sessions, who has asthma, was taken to the hospital, Ringer said.
A cat is believed to have perished in the fire due to the volume of flames, Speelman said. Two other cats in the trailer escaped and were taken to safety.
Three dogs were reportedly at large after fleeing the trailer, Ringer said: a mother dog and two six-month-old pitbull-shepherd-rottweiler mixed pups.
Speelman could not confirm the cause of the fire. A fire investigator was investigating at the scene. Speelman could not be reached after the fire as he and others were in a training class.
"There is extensive fire and it had a head start on us," he said.
The American Red Cross was called to assist the family.
