Ray Clearwater, of Barton, lost all his belongings and his pet cat Wednesday when fire ripped through his mobile home in the Sunset Trailer Park.
    The fire broke out around 9 a.m., according to Waverly-Barton Fire Chief Don Howard.
    Clearwater saw the flames and tried to put them out with a garden hose outside his home, but could not get it hooked up quickly enough, the homeowner said Wednesday afternoon, too shook up from the day’s events to say where the flames were coming from.
    The American Red Cross is helping Clearwater and a neighbor is allowing him to stay with her, he said.
    Clearwater does have insurance and has been with his insurance company since the 60s, he said.
    What disheartened Clearwater more than the loss of the trailer, was the furniture and other belongings inside, he said.
    “Some of the furniture in there was worth more than the trailer itself,” he said. “I had a nice cabinet full of dishes, a freezer full of food...”
    Howard said when firefighters arrived on scene, the mobile home was completely involved.
    Firefighters had the blaze under control within 15 minutes of arriving on scene, and had it out within an hour, he said.
    Clearwater — who escaped the home with his dog — did sustain some burns to his face and hands, and smoke inhalation, said Howard. Clearwater was transported to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre for treatment and was later released, the chief added.
    Firefighters encountered no difficulties in battling the blaze, said Howard.
    The cause of the fire is listed as accidental, he added.
    Waverly-Barton firefighters were back in service around 11 a.m., said Howard.
    Also responding to the scene was the Sayre Borough Fire Department, the Athens Township Fire Department, the Tioga Center Fire Department and Greater Valley Emergency Medical Services.