Smoky Blaze Guts Family’s Mobile Home In Cocoa

By  //  April 25, 2012

Dog may have perished

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BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA, FLORIDA – Brevard County firefighters battled a blaze at 6851 Blue Bonnet Drive in Cocoa on Wednesday afternoon, April 25. 

This mobile home at 6851 Blue Bonnet Drive in Cocoa was destroyed in a fire Wednesday. (Google street view image)

Brevard County Fire Rescue responded to the call at 2:31 p.m.

According to crews first at the house fire, they were only a couple of miles away from the scene, returning to their station from another fire call, when they were dispatched.

A visible smoke column could be seen from the burning structure more than a mile away.

The first fire engine arrived minutes later to find a single-wide mobile home about 40 percent involved in heavy fire to the south end of the building and heavy smoke filling the remaining living space and pouring from the north end of the home.

The mobile home resident, Cliff Varner, 34, told Brevard Fire Rescue officials that he rents the home and lives there with his 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.

Only the family’s pet chihuahua was at home when the fire began and Varner fears that the dog could not have escaped the blaze.

Firefighters have so far been unable to locate the pet.

The home’s owner reported to Brevard Fire Rescue that the structure was not insured.

Lt. Jeffrey Taylor

Varner did not have renter’s insurance and told officials that he lost everything except an airboat parked outside and some personal belongings kept in a detached shed.

Firefighter’s were able to extinguish the blazee in little more than 20 minutes.

Overhaul and mop-up operations were expected to take more than an hour.

Brevard Fire Rescue Crews searched through the debris for any keepsakes or belongings that might be salvagable.

Investigators from Brevard County and the State Fire Marshal’s Office were on hand to determine the cause of the fire.

No damage estimate has been provided, but the home is considered a total loss.

The Red Cross was contacted to assist the family with short-term lodging and clothing needs and community support is welcomed by the family.

More than a dozen firefighters from Brevard County Fire Rescue and the Cocoa Fire Department were at the scene.