DeQuincy, Louisiana - Firefighters from several Calcasieu Parish departments contained a mobile home fire on Marcantel Road early Friday, Feb. 13, after the occupants were able to escape before crews arrived, according to Ward Six Fire Protection District No. One.
The structure fire was reported at 1:46 a.m., prompting the dispatch of Ward Six Fire Protection District No. One to the scene. Houston River Fire Department and DeQuincy Volunteer Fire Department were also dispatched as automatic aid, a standard practice in which neighboring departments are sent at the same time as the primary agency to ensure a rapid and adequately staffed response.
When Ward 6 Command unit 901 arrived, firefighters reported visible fire on one end of a mobile home with heavy smoke coming from the windows. All occupants of the home had self-evacuated prior to the arrival of fire crews, and no injuries to residents were reported in the district’s release.
As firefighters worked to control the blaze, additional resources were requested to support both the active fireground and overall community coverage. Westlake Fire Department was called in as mutual aid to provide extra manpower on scene. Mutual aid is a cooperative agreement that allows departments to assist each other during larger or labor-intensive incidents.
To maintain fire protection coverage in the wider area while multiple agencies were committed to the Marcantel Road fire, Beauregard Parish Fire District 2 was requested to move an engine to Ward 6 Fire Station 2. Ward 5 Fire was also requested to move an engine to the DeQuincy Fire station to help cover the City of DeQuincy during the response.
Acadian Ambulance responded as well, not for patient transport but to monitor firefighters in rehab. Firefighter rehab is a designated area and process where crews are medically evaluated, rehydrated, and given time to recover from heat, smoke exposure, and physical exertion before returning to operations.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire, and no injuries were reported among responding personnel, Ward Six Fire Protection District No. One stated. Details about the extent of damage to the mobile home were not provided in the report.
The Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. No further information on the origin or circumstances of the blaze has been released.
The coordinated response involved:
- Ward Six Fire Protection District No. One
- Houston River Fire Department
- DeQuincy Volunteer Fire Department
- Westlake Fire Department
- Beauregard Parish Fire District 2
- Ward 5 Fire
- Acadian Ambulance
- Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal
Authorities had not released additional information as of publication.