TOWN OF FULTON — A propane explosion was the cause of the fire that destroyed one mobile home and damaged two others — while sending two victims to the hospital — at Rock River Leisure Estates mobile home park, Lakeside Fire and Rescue Chief Randy Pickering confirmed Tuesday.
“Everyone in the area confirmed it was an explosion and talking with the maintenance guy who went in to pull them out, he did smell LP (liquid propane),” Pickering said.
The investigation is ongoing. The two people are in the burn unit at UW Hospital in Madison after the explosion. The two individuals were pulled out of a mobile home in the explosion by a maintenance worker. The mobile home was destroyed.
Rock River Leisure Estates, 530 E. Ellendale Road, is a privately-run campground near Newville.
The fire damaged two neighboring mobile homes. Crews from Janesville helped extinguishing the fire and Lakeside paramedics attended to the victims.
“If the hospital tells us one of the individuals is in any condition to talk to us that would be beneficial but the main focus is to make sure they are alright,” Pickering said.
The scene is taped off and “neighbors are watching the home,” but this is not a criminal investigation, Pickering said.
Rock River Leisure Estates has no fire hydrants. Fire departments involved needed to bring in tanks of water to fight the fire.
Fire Marshal Nate Simmons said that one person who was transported to the hospital with smoke inhalation injuries is doing alright.
He said that the tenants who were displaced have mostly returned to their homes except those who live in the unit where the fire occurred and the apartment underneath that suffered water damage.
The fire broke out in the second floor of apartments at the 1300 block of Laramie Lane about 8:16 a.m. Saturday.
All residents in the apartment building evacuated, and fire crews extinguished the fire within 10 minutes. The victim of smoke inhalation was the only reported injury by fire officials.
The fire department issued a reminder alongside its report that residents should have working fire and smoke alarms inside their homes, although the department did not indicate whether or not the affected apartment has working smoke alarms.
