A wall-mounted propane heater is being blamed for the destruction of this doublewide trailer on Barkers Creek Jan. 22. Qualla volunteer firefighters were called to the scene at about 8 p.m., Chief David Bell said. "It was gone when we got there," Bell said of the 1-year-old home, which belonged to Jared Bradley. "We had plenty of help - Sylva and Bryson City provided mutual aid - but there was no way to save it." According to Bell, Bradley told officials he'd left the heater running when he left for work that evening. The burn pattern found in the home's mid-section indicates the LP heater was most likely to blame, said Bell.
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