Volunteer crews with Lewis County Fire District 14 — also known as Randle Fire & EMS — rescued a “seriously burned” occupant following a blaze that spread to a recreational vehicle early Friday.
Authorities said they were investigating the cause of the fire, but indicated early leads.
“First-hand reports suggest that a propane gas leak on a smaller 5-gallon tank and an unspecified electrical ignition source produced a rapid and violent combustion of gas then spreading to a recreational vehicle,” Randle Fire & EMS said in a news release.
According to the release, the crews arrived at about 12:37 a.m. Friday, April 10, to find an unstable scene caused by “rapid venting of an involved 250-gallon propane tank.”
The fire had extended to the RV and was slowly spreading to nearby vegetation.
Units extracted a lone occupant “who was located beyond the immediate hazard with limited access due to heavy fire involvement,” the agency said.
The injured occupant, who was reportedly “seriously burned,” was treated and airlifted to a regional specialty center, according to the release.
Remaining crews, assisted by Lewis County Fire District 10 in Packwood, then “brought the fire under control,” Randle Fire said.
“Thank you to all of our responding volunteer firefighters on this call and to Packwood Fire for the extra hands and additional water supply,” the agency said.
