Fire engulfs West Rehoboth home

A manufactured home in West Rehoboth went up in flames Oct.8 after a gas heater burned out of control. One of the residents of the home said no one was injured in the 12:18 p.m. blaze.

The home, 134 Norwood St., sits directly behind the Soul Saving Station Deliverance Church of the Apostolic Faith. Five people live at the house – James “Jack” Wharton, his brother Ralph Savage and Tasha Whaley and her two children – and all are members of the church. The church was not damaged; it briefly lost electricity.

Wharton, visibly shaken by the fire, said it began when he lit a kerosene stove. The next thing he knew, he said, the place was on fire. Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office Investigators said the fire originated in the back bedroom and was caused by the malfunction of a kerosene heater.

Church pastor Wayne Foster, who arrived at the scene after the fire began, said when the fire broke out, the children were at school, and Whaley was at work. Flames from the fire could be seen from Tanger Bayside Outlets on Route 1.

The Fire Marshal's Office said the home was not equipped with working smoke detectors. Firefighters from Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company, Lewes Fire Department and Indian River Volunteer Fire Company were among the units that responded to the blaze.

Firefighters extinguished the fire by 1:20 p.m., about an hour after it began.  Damages have been estimated at $6,000. The victims are being assisted by the Red Cross.

Foster said the trailer was expected to be moved on Tuesday to make way for an addition to the church. The trailer was going to be donated to a trailer company, Foster said.

“It was going to be moved,” he said. “We didn’t want it to go like this.”