The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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    Home destroyed

December 23, 2008

Fire destroys Eagle Lake home

By Dan Nienaber

EAGLE LAKE — An Eagle Lake couple’s mobile home was destroyed and two neighbors had to be temporarily evacuated during an early-morning fire Tuesday.

Firefighters were called to the Eagle Lake Regency mobile home park at about 4 a.m. and fought the blaze for more than two hours, said Jeff Smith, assistant fire chief. He did not know the residents’ names, but neighbors said the couple living there were Chris and Sara, or Sarah, Guy.

The Guys could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Friends said they were staying with Christopher Guy’s mother in Amboy. Smith said the couple were the only people in the mobile home at 94 Third St. when the fire started.

Fernando Gutierrez, his wife, Marion, and four children had to be evacuated from their home next door. Residents in the mobile on the other side of the Guy home had to be evacuated as well.

Gutierrez said the fire was burning in the back of his neighbor’s mobile home when a police officer woke him up. The fire quickly moved to the front of the home, burning everything inside, he said.

The smoke was so thick outside, the police officer lost track of Gutierrez’s daughter and had to go back to get her.

“She got caught in the car door and he couldn’t find her, that’s how bad the smoke was,” Gutierrez said. “We couldn’t move our car or anything because it was blocked by fire trucks.”

Gutierrez and his family were able to go to his sister’s house across the street. Paula Montanez said she counted 21 firefighters outside after her brother woke her up.

“We were worried about my brother’s house because the flames were so big,” she said. “It was really bad. It took them a long time to get the fire out.”

After hearing the firetrucks, Andre Fontaine said he went to see what was happening and realized his friend’s home was burning. He said he was only able to talk to Guy for a few seconds.

“They were preoccupied with the loss of their home,” Fontaine said. “They were lucky to get out unharmed. I was standing at the intersection because I didn’t want to get in the way and I could see flames shooting at least 25 feet up into the air. It was fully engulfed.”

Helen Kleen, a neighbor of Guy’s mother in Amboy, said the couple was staying there. They had gone to the Salvation Army in Mankato, which was assisting them with finding clothing, household items and a place to live, Kleen said.

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