Stagecoach fire leaves family homeless

STAGECOACH - A family of four was left homeless Monday when embers from a woodstove sparked a mid-morning fire, an investigator said.

"The fire started in the living room, and we believe it happened when the owner was stoking his wood stove. Some embers escaped and one went undetected under the sofa," said Gred Liddicoat of the Nevada State Fire Marshal's Office.

Liddicoat said homeowner Johnny Barrington told investigators he'd used water to extinguish the embers that escaped the woodstove and thought he'd gotten them all.

Shortly before 10 a.m. members of the Central Lyon County Fire District responded to the double-wide mobile home at 9185 West Navajo Drive.

Central Lyon Fire Chief Mark Darragh said firefighters got the fire under control within five minutes and were able to keep the flames contained to the living room and kitchen, but both those portions of the home and their contents were lost.

"The insurance company is probably going to total it," he said.

Barrington; his wife, Ellen; and their children, 11-year-old Amy and 9-year-old Dylan, were not home when the fire started.

The Barringtons found out about the fire when they returned home to find firefighters there, he said.

The American Red Cross was called to assist the family.

Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.