New Salina residents lose home to fire

Last Update: 1/27 5:17 pm

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New Salina residents lose home to fire

SALINA, Kansas -- Some new Salina residents saved their money to purchase a home, but that home was destroyed by fire Wednesday morning.

The Contreas family had lived in Salina for just one week until a morning house fire destroyed their mobile home and all of their possessions.

As smoke rose from the inside the home, the family stood in shock after losing so much, so fast.

"The fire got everything in three minutes, but the kids and family is safe,” said Lucy Corley, a family friend. “But this is a hard time for them, because they don't have jobs right now and they lost everything."

Karina Contreas saw flames at around 8:45 this morning coming from the mobile home’s furnace. The outdated furnace was installed in 1973.

"We took apart the furnace and found that there was a fire chamber down below and this is where gas and fire are mixed and there was a failure in that and it actually ruptured,” said Jeff Daily, fire investigator with the Salina Fire Department.

The Salina Fire Department says they’re not sure what caused the failure, but that it was just a matter of time before the furnace malfunctioned.

"It's possible that if the family would have done an in-house inspection, that it might have been found, or at least noted that the furnace was old and it should be replaced,” Daily said.

The Spanish-speaking newspaper La Voz is accepting donations on behalf of the Contreas family to help them start over. Donations can be dropped off at the La Voz office at 113-A on S. Santa Fe in downtown Salina.

The total loss is estimated at around $20,000.

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