A woman and her six young children have been displaced by a fire that destroyed their mobile home and sent a male occupant of the home to jail.

Sidney Fire Chief Craig Wagoner says the fire call came shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday when a trailer on South Thomas Drive, Claypool, was reported to be on fire. According to Wagoner, neighbors said they saw the trailer already burning when the male occupant, identified as Noe Ybarra, 27, Claypool, got into his vehicle, drove out into the yard, then rammed the vehicle into the burning trailer.

“I don’t know a lot about it, but it seems to all be stemming from a domestic issue,” said Wagoner. Claypool Police and Indiana State Police were called to the scene when fire crews arrived and Ybarra would not let them near the burning trailer. Wagoner said the man was taken into custody.

Squad 70 was called to investigate the cause of the fire, which Wagoner said is so far undetermined due to the extensive damage. Ybarra was said to have taken the children to a neighbor’s house prior to the blaze and Wagoner did not believe the female occupant was home at the time. Ybarra was arrested by ISP and initially charged with refusal to submit to chemical testing.

The home and all of its contents was deemed a total loss.

Sidney, Claypool, Silver Lake and Chester Township of Wabash County fire departments were all on scene. The Kosciusko County Chapter of the American Red Cross was also called to assist the family.

The Red Cross provided assistance to replace lost clothing, food and other basic needs for the displaced single mother and her six children, who are all under the age of 8.

Kimberly Stout, American Red Cross Emergency Services director, said, “Whether big or small, disasters have a life-changing effect on our clients. The majority of the assistance we provide goes to local families experiencing such events; fulfilling immediate needs in their first steps toward recovery.”

The Red Cross has provided for the basic needs of this family.  If you would like to help this family or provide for future disaster assistance please call the Kosciusko County Chapter of the Red Cross at 267-5244.  All the assistance provided after local fires comes from community support for the Red Cross services in Kosciusko County.