BELL County (May 27, 2010)-A family of five is homeless Friday following an early morning fire that gutted their mobile home.

The fire started around 6 a.m. Friday in mobile home located in the 11100 block of Irene Lane in rural Bell County near Salado.

The first units of Salado Fire Department on the scene reported the home was fully involved with flames in excess of thirty feet.

Bell County Fire Marshal Steve Casey told News 10 the fire was caused by a faulty cook stove which shorted out as one of the occupants, Juan Chavez, was cooking breakfast for the family.

The family managed to safely escape the burning mobile home and contact the fire department.

At one point, both Stillhouse and Belton Fire Departments were called out to assist on a report of a second structure fire nearby in the same neighborhood.

The call proved to be unfounded, as the caller mistakenly believed their barn, which was in the same line-of-site as the mobile home, was on fire.

No injuries were reported in connection with the fire, Casey said, but the home, which was valued roughly at $20,000, was a complete loss.

The family did not have insurance, Casey said.

The American Red Cross was called out to assist the two adults and three children, ages 4-12.

--
David Williams contributed to this story.