At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, firefighters were dispatched to a structure fire at 301 Locust St. in Great Bend. Icy roads and lightly falling snow met the responders who made their way to the southeast section of the city.
The sole occupant of the trailer home was Bernardino Sanchez, who was home at the time of the blaze, Great Bend Fire Chief Mike Napolitano said. He managed to get out without any injuries.
Flames were coming from the front porch area of the single-wide mobile home. The flames moved quickly through the structure, and as firefighters arrived, could be seen coming through windows on all sides.
Frigid northerly winds soon carried 30-foot high plumes of black and yellow smoke over the treetops and homes on the south side of the street, blocking from sight the lights on the fire trucks parked on Third Street.
 “When the firefighters arrived, it was totally involved,” Napolitano said. Bright orange flames and black smoke billowed out of the door and windows. A cloud of smoke was visible from outside of town.
The fire chief said Sanchez smelled smoke and traced its origin to the furnace room. “He opened the door and saw the fire.”
Sanchez used a fire extinguisher to try and put out the flames, but was unsuccessful. That’s when he fled the home.
The cause is listed as accidental. Napolitano didn’t have a dollar amount for the damage, but, it is considered a total loss.
Sanchez didn’t have any insurance.
The trailer is owned by Antonia Alvarez.