An unmanned stove left to heat a Bloomington mobile home caught fire on Tuesday morning.
Around 9:30 a.m., a fire was reported at a single-wide mobile home at 13122 SH 185, Victoria County Fire Marshal Richard Castillo said.
Castillo said the fire started when a child placed a leather baseball mitt on a lit gas stove. At the time, there were a toddler and three adults in the house. Three adults were injured by smoke inhalation, but Castillo said he was unsure of the severity of the injuries.
The infant was unharmed, he said.
Maintenance workers and adults were in the house and were able to nearly put out the fire before the firefighters arrived.
The house suffered smoke and heat damage, but the building was intact.
American Red Cross workers are expected to help the family, but Castillo said the house could be better lived with some tidying up.
Temperatures had dropped to about 37 degrees Celsius at the time of the fire, according to the National Weather Service.
With temperatures expected to remain frigid throughout the week, Castillo said it’s especially important for residents to pay attention to their heating appliances.
Additionally, according to the National Association of Fire Investigators, you should never use your stove or oven to heat your home.
Residents need to exercise caution and pay close attention to their heaters, Castillo said.