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Roving firefighters discover trailer fire 

They may not be psychics, but Berkeley firefighters managed to arrive at the scene of a fire Wednesday morning even before the blaze could be reported. 

It happened at 10:10 a.m. when the crew of a ladder truck who had been out performing fire prevention duties spotted a column of smoke in West Berkeley. 

Arriving at the scene, they found a fellow with a garden hose battling a blaze that had erupted in a small trailer at the rear of a residence at 2112 Eighth St. 

Because ladder trucks aren’t equipped with water supplies or fire suppressants beyond canister type extinguishers, the crew took over the hose until the blaze was out. 

Deputy Fire Chief David P. Orth said the blaze totaled the small trailer, and placed the blame on a small electrical space heater which had been plugged into the current of the nearby dwelling with a long extension cord, which he said is never a good idea.