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The Okotoks Fire Department responded to a fire at a local residence on Saturday (July 29).

At about 4:08 p.m., they were called to a fire at a home in the Okotoks Village trailer park.

Fire Chief Trevor Brice says it actually started outside the home.

"It was actually a shed at the back of the property that spread to the actual mobile home. As we got there, it was already affecting the exposures behind it and actually got into the main body of the mobile home."

Crews arrived within six minutes and immediately got to work and gained entry to the property.

All things considered; Brice was pleased with how quickly they were able to get it under control.

"With the smoke damage, that little bit of fire damage, and when we're trying to locate the fire to make sure it hasn't spread, we have to take some of the ceilings down, especially with all the insulation. I'd say probably 20 per cent of the property was damaged in some way."

The cause is under investigation, though Brice believes it's most likely to have been electrical in nature.

"What we're finding is there's more and more incidents with lithium batteries and charging of batteries. We don't know whether it was that we've sent a few things way to the lab to find out. Also, the way you use extension cords. they can overheat easily and start a fire."

He'd like to remind residents only to use the batteries and charging cords designed for the device, keep batteries out of direct sunlight, and not to leave phones charging on pillows or couches. Instead, he recommends leaving devices to charge on hard surfaces that allow for air flow.