Flames were blasting out of the backdoor and window when firefighters arrived at mobile home in Sherrills Ford off Dog Leg Road on Monday.  No one was home.

A sheriff’s deputy called the fire into the communications center about 10:20 a.m. on Monday after he spotted heavy smoke coming from a trailer while on patrol.  The call got rescuers there just in time to keep the entire doublewide trailer home from burning, Keith Bost, chief of Sherrills Ford/Terrell Fire and Rescue, said.

“Another five minutes and we’d be in bad shape,” Bost said.

The trailer is located at 8462 Dog Leg Road about 600 feet off the road with two other trailers near by.

The fire blew out the back window and door, Bost said, which is what had made the popping noise just as Sherrills Ford/Terrell Fire and Rescue arrived.

“I knew if we didn’t work quick we were going to lose it,” Bost said.

Bost said fires are usually well contained within trailers until the fire breaks a window or a door giving the fire access to more oxygen, which fuels the flames.  Firefighters worked quickly and had the fire out within three minute, he said.

The trailer is considered a total loss with heavy smoke and heat damage throughout the residence, Bost said.  The kitchen and bathroom received the most damage.

Investigators believe the fire began in the kitchen around the dishwasher, possibly ignited by an electrical fault involving the appliance.

Firefighters removed the dishwasher from the home, though Bost said it did not appear to be in use during the fire and had no dishes inside.