A fire in the Bailey community Monday night destroyed a mobile home and a family’s belongings.

Around 6 p.m. firefighters from Bailey, Collinsville and Martin responded to the fire on 885 Baylor Road in northern Lauderdale County. 

“It was one of those times when we got there and everything was burning up,” Bailey Volunteer Fire & Rescue Chief Stanley Lucky said. “We had to just try to protect everything else around. (The home) was a total loss.”

Neighbors initially reported the fire, saying they had heard explosion-like sounds. Lucky said the explosions were probably from propane tanks the family used for heating. 

Firefighters had the fire under control within 20 minutes, Lucky estimated. Responders, however, couldn’t extinguish the fire for hours because of the nature of the contents of the home. 

“We couldn’t determine a cause or origin,” Lucky said, adding that the roof fell in and debris impeded the investigation. 

Lucky said nobody was home at the time of the fire. The Red Cross is assisting the residents, Lucky said.

The cause hasn’t been determined.

“It probably had something to do with heaters,” Lucky said. “With cold weather coming we have to be aware of our space heaters.”