LORAIN — A fire this morning has left a Lorain man homeless, but, for now, firefighters aren’t sure where that man is.

According to Fire Capt. Dennis Livchak, firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the trailer and the rear of the trailer fully engulfed in flames.

Neighbors initially believed Ryan Pesek, 32, the trailer’s occupant, might be trapped in the trailer, but that wasn’t the case.

Both neighbors and fire officials reported that Pesek was spotted leaving the area on foot a short time after the fire started.

According to one neighbor, “he didn’t seem concerned and he didn’t seem surprised” when informed that his trailer was on fire. Pesek, a Nord Center patient, had been having “some issues” with his landlord at the mobile home park, according to fire Capt. Dennis Livchak.

One neighbor said Pesek was upset because his landlord had recently cut his natural gas service.

Livchak said the trailer, which was worth about $5,000, was a total loss. He said the fire started in the rear bedroom of the home and the cause remains under investigation. Officials from the Lorain Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Bureau were already on scene before 9 this morning.

West Erie Avenue was closed to traffic briefly while firefighters set up a hose to hydrant across the street. They were able to extinguish the fire with the water in their trucks, however, so West Erie reopened within a few minutes.

Photos by neighbor Mary Ann Haullauer:

CT photos: