Authorities Suspect Unsupervised Cooking as Cause of Mobile Home Fire that Claimed the Life of a Louisiana Woman

Ascension Parish, Louisiana – Authorities suspect unsupervised cooking as the cause of a mobile home fire that claimed the life of a Louisiana woman.

The Louisiana State Fire Marshal (LASFM) announced on February 27, 2023, that deputies are still investigating a mobile home fire in Gonzales, Louisiana that killed a female resident.

On Friday, February 24, just before 5 a.m., the Gonzales Fire Department responded to a report of a mobile home fire in the 43000 block of Weber City Road. Tragically, firemen discovered the death of a female occupant in the kitchen later on.

While the victim’s identity and cause of death are unknown pending an autopsy with the Ascension Parish Coroner’s Office, the 74-year-old homeowner is thought to be the victim. The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time, with the inability to rule out unsupervised cooking as a possible contributing element.

While the cause of this incident is currently under investigation, the LASFM would like to remind families of several important cooking safety precautions:

• Stay in the kitchen when cooking, especially when the stove is active
• Keep cooking environments free of clutter and combustible materials
• Keep children at least three feet away from the stove, sharp objects, and hot foods and/or liquids
• Avoid cooking when tired, distracted, or impaired
• Keep a lid nearby in case a small, stovetop fire occurs, which can be smothered by placing the lid over it and turning off the heat

Furthermore, deputies discovered no working smoke alarms in the house. Smoke alarms have been shown to be the difference between life and death in a fire. The LASFM’s Operation Save-A-Life program collaborates with local fire departments to provide free smoke alarm installation to families in need. Visit laLASFM.org to learn more about the program and to register for a smoke alarm. You can also request a smoke alarm installation from your local fire department.