PHILLIPS — A fire that destroyed an unoccupied mobile home at 109 Park St. early Monday morning may have resulted from work done to replace an electric water heater.

Tenants of the home owned by Joel Thompson moved out a couple weeks ago and he was getting it ready to rent, Phillips fire Chief James Gould said.

The water heater was replaced Sunday. 

“That’s probably what started it,” Gould said.

Little was left to the structure when firefighters arrived. The fire is not suspicious, he said. They were called out at 2:39 a.m. Monday, he said.

It was a later-model mobile home with a large addition in front and another addition on the end, he said.

The fire was called in by a neighbor.

When firefighters arrived, only the front wall of the front addition was still standing. The roof had burned and the original trailer was completely gone, he said. 

About 25 firefighters from three departments, including Phillips with mutual aid from Strong and Salem, wet down the scene, put out hot spots and kept other outbuildings from catching fire, he said. 

NorthStar ambulance from Farmington responded to make sure the firefighters were hydrated and no one suffered any heat-related issues, he said.  

The property had no insurance, at least between renters, Gould said.

abryant@sunjournal.com