STANDISH – Officials have determined the fire that began early in the morning of July 4 at a mobile home in Pine Tree Estates in Standish was caused by blankets being left on top of a computer.

The lack of ventilation allowed heat to build up eventually igniting the blankets, said Standish Fire-Rescue Chief Brent Libby.

The fire and resulting water and smoke damage destroyed the trailer at 59 Birch Drive, he said. A family of two adults and one teenager was sleeping at the time, and were alerted by a smoke detector. The family and their pets managed to escape unharmed.

Libby warns that even the relatively low temperatures of a computer, if left unventilated, can be a fire hazard if allowed to come in contact with a flammable object. Libby said the occupants were moving things around and inadvertently left the blankets on top of the computer.

About 25 firefighters from Standish, Limington, Buxton, and Windham began arriving at the scene at 2:20 a.m. and left at 6:17 a.m., Libby said. A State Fire Marshal’s Office investigator arrived later in the day and determined the cause.