ROSAMOND, Calif. (KERO) — Explosion and fire burns down two mobile homes in Rosamond on March 18.
- In a video taken by a neighbor, Jeff Kurth can be heard screaming for help.
- Inadequate water supply at mobile home park, causes Kern County firefighters to use multiple trucks to put out the fire.
- Those interested in donating to Kurth and his family, can click here.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
An explosion... and a fire destroys two mobile homes... a blast so strong... Jeff Kurth tells me he felt shards of glass skim across his head.
I'm Steve Virgen... your neighborhood reporter in Rosamond...
Kurth and his family escaped the aftermath... when the fire engulfed their home on march 18th…
“Everytime I come driving this way. Every night, I just think: I just want to go home. I just want to turn this way. And instead I gotta turn that way. I lived here for 16 years. This is my security. This is my blanket. And I don’t have it no more,” Jeff Kurth said.
Jeff Kurth says he was home with his son, Joshua, during the afternoon of March 18th. That’s when he heard a loud blast and glass shatter around him, he said he thought it was from a sonic boom caused by nearby Edwards Air Force Base.
But soon, a fire started...
In this video from a neighbor, you can hear him screaming for help.
“OH NO! Somebody help!” My house!”
Kurth says kern county firefighters then struggled to put out the fire. according to kcfd there was a lack of adequate water supply at rosamond mobile home park.
Kurth said they used water from his pressure-washing machine that carries 400 gallons, but it wasn’t enough to save the home. kurth adds they lost two of their four cats. however, their pet snake “turbo” survived.
JEFF: “I love you buddy..”
JOSHUA: “I love you too.”
JEFF: “The hardest thing is to see my kids lose everything. It’s just hard. I want to cry right now, but I gotta be strong.”
Neighbors like Flora Patten say they felt helpless during the fire.
“It’s heartbreaking because I can still hear them screaming. ‘My home! My home! My home!’ And with no water. They’re good people. They’re good friends. It was a nightmare situation. It’s very sad,” Patten said.
I left messages with the manager of the Rosamond Mobile Home Park and they were not returned.
Fire crews shuttled water, with multiple fire engines driving to a hydrant to fill and bringing water back to the firefighting engine on the scene.
“Kern County firefighters are accustomed to this tactic due to the many rural locations that we protect,” KCFD Public Information Officer, Jon Drucker said in an email.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, drucker added.
The explosion is suspected to have come from a gas leak, Kurth said.
The mobile home that had the explosion was owned by Miguel Bautista. The family of four with a baby due next month was not home at the time. They are trying to find a new place to live.
Kurth and his family did not have home insurance and they’re staying with family with the hopes they can find a trailer for more temporary stay.
“It’s just heartbreaking that our house could’ve been saved. And our cats could’ve been saved. That’s just what’s heartbreaking. We didn’t need to lose everything," said Tina McAteer, Kurth’s wife.
The family tells me they're grateful for the support from the community, including Coach's Sports Bar and the Rosamond Queens among many others. I'm Steve Virgen your neighborhood reporter.
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