Furnace causes mobile home to catch fire

West Knox Firefighters were called to a trailer on Appaloosa Trail Monday morning after the trailer’s heater caught fire.

West Knox Fire Chief Darryl Baker said, the fire at 156 Appaloosa Trail ignited about 7 a.m., when the homeowner turned on the heating unit.

"The lady smelled smoke, saw smoke coming out of the unit and called us," Baker said.

Baker said firefighters used extinguishers to fight the fire, which was contained to the heating unit. They did have to cut a hole in the ceiling of the trailer to ensure there were no embers in the crawl space.

Baker said people should be cautious when turning on their heating units for the first time.

"Make sure the vents and filters are clean," Baker said. "The first time you turn the furnace on, there is probably going to be a funny smell as it burns off the dust but there shouldn’t be any smoke. We recommend you do this on a day or at a time when you are home to monitor it."