Mobile man struggling after losing home in fire

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A man in Mobile is struggling to make ends meet after losing his home in a fire earlier this month. He says he’s lucky to be alive after the blaze took everything.

Rubble and ash are much of what remains of the trailer that Rex West has called home. He says if it wasn’t for a smoke alarm he may not have made it out of his home alive.

The singlewide trailer on Halls Mill Road in Mobile is hard to look at, the home is caved in, and piles of debris sit around the lot.

West says just after midnight on July 8th the front of his home caught fire. The smoke alarm woke him up and gave him just enough time to see the flames in another room and get out alive.

Everything he owned was destroyed. West says he’s 77 years old and a Vietnam veteran.
His wife died last year and he doesn’t know what to do next.

Rex West, lost home: “It makes me feel depressed in a way. Overwhelmed. Another system. I just got so much to do, and there’s only me doing it,” said West. West says he’s already had looters try to steal what’s left of his water heater and the few items of value mixed in with the destruction. In addition to losing everything he owned, his cat was also killed in the fire.

“It’s difficult. But not that not insurmountable. I’ve got neighbors that help out. I go over there, place to sleep, but I stay over here all day from,” said West.

West says he’s been living in his truck during the daytime and sleeping at a neighbor’s house at night. He says he needs help cleaning up and wasn’t insured.

Mobile Fire Rescue say they responded to a fire call at this Mobile home just after midnight on July 8th. They said the cause is undetermined and said there’s no indication that the fire was set on purpose.

A friend had set up a GoFundMe account to help raise money, for more information click here .

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