Two fires in Sevier County less than hour apart Monday

Two fires in Sevier County less than hour apart Monday

A farmer is without an expensive tractor and a family is without a home after two separate fires in Sevier County Monday evening.

The first one started around 5 p.m. near the intersection of Main and SR 118 in Venice.

A man was using a grinder attached to a tractor to mix corn when he saw flames on the grinder. Although he used a fire extinguisher on the flames, the blaze quickly spread.

Firefighters were able to get the fire out after about 30 minutes, but the equipment was destroyed.

The estimated cost is near $40,000.

Another fire in Sevier County Monday evening destroyed a mobile home just outside of Richfield. .

The home was at 2600 South Cove View Road, South of the Richfield golf course.

When crews arrived, the family of four was out safely. The renter was trying to get the flames out with a garden hose, but was unsuccessful.

According to Sevier County Sheriff, Nate Curtis, the home was a total loss.

“Unfortunately, mobile homes there’s not a lot of room in them–they’re really lightweight so they tend to burn pretty quickly,” Curtis says. “And that’s unfortunately what happened to this.”

A friend staying with the family told crews the fire started in the bathroom, but the cause is still under investigation.