WATSONVILLE—A man died late Saturday night in a fire that destroyed a mobile home in Watsonville.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said Wesley Ronald Clark, 82, of Watsonville died in the fire.
Watsonville Fire Battalion Chief Kirt Vojvoda said Clark was found inside the single-wide mobile home at 128 Pera Drive.
The blaze erupted around 10:45pm inside the Rancho Cerritos Mobile Home Park. By the time firefighters had arrived flames had fully engulfed the home. Firefighters stopped the fire from spreading to surrounding homes, Vojvoda said.
Initial fire radio reports from dispatchers stated that residents spotted Clark down on the floor inside the home. Some told dispatchers that they tried to free him from the burning home but were unsuccessful.
The fire sent a towering column of black and brown smoke into the night sky.
Groups of residents stood by watching firefighters battle the blaze.
Vojvoda said there were no other injuries and that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Cal Fire and Central Fire joined Watsonville Police and American Medical Response paramedics in the emergency response. Crews were on the scene past 4am.
