3 injured in propane explosion at Tulalip home
TULALIP, Wash. -- Three people were burned in propane explosion at the Port Susan Camping Club on Tuesday morning, and two were rushed to a Seattle hospital.
Crews were called to the home in the 12000 block of Marine Drive about 10:30 a.m. after people in the area reported hearing an explosion, and flames were coming from two trailer homes when firefighters arrived.
A mother in her 70s was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle while her son was taken there via ambulance. Both were listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit. A neighbor had less severe burns and was taken to Cascade Hospital.
Neighbors told fire officials that there had been a smell of propane in the neighborhood since Monday night, but no one was able to figure out the source. By mid-morning, firefighters say the mobile home was filled with gas when one simple turn of knob triggered an eruption.
"Started up their stove, their house was charged with propane gas, and one thing led to another," said deputy fire chief Rob Johnson.
In a flash -- a massive explosion. The force so great, it knocked a few people outside off their feet.
Windows were shattered, vinyl siding melted, trees burned.
Those who live in this section of the sprawling Port Susan Camping Club say the older woman had been dealing with financial problems and other setbacks, and now this.
As some people scrambled to help her and her son out of the burning mobile home, they also tried to prevent other propane tanks from exploding.
"Kept the hose on the tanks to make sure they stay cool," said neighbor Mike Sesko. "Just try to keep it from spreading. This is the second time I've had this happen with a neighbor's place burning down."
Christinia Ibarra is thankful there was an empty lot between her home and where the explosion happened. She worried about much of this heavily wooded neighborhood erupting in flames, including her home.
"There wasn't anything we could do with the fire, but we had to protect our stuff so the fire didn't come toward us," Ibarra said. "The heat was so intense, so intense."
Investigators have not given a damage estimate, but say the mobile home was completely destroyed.
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Photos from the scene >>>
Crews were called to the home in the 12000 block of Marine Drive about 10:30 a.m. after people in the area reported hearing an explosion, and flames were coming from two trailer homes when firefighters arrived.
A mother in her 70s was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle while her son was taken there via ambulance. Both were listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit. A neighbor had less severe burns and was taken to Cascade Hospital.
Neighbors told fire officials that there had been a smell of propane in the neighborhood since Monday night, but no one was able to figure out the source. By mid-morning, firefighters say the mobile home was filled with gas when one simple turn of knob triggered an eruption.
"Started up their stove, their house was charged with propane gas, and one thing led to another," said deputy fire chief Rob Johnson.
In a flash -- a massive explosion. The force so great, it knocked a few people outside off their feet.
Windows were shattered, vinyl siding melted, trees burned.
Those who live in this section of the sprawling Port Susan Camping Club say the older woman had been dealing with financial problems and other setbacks, and now this.
As some people scrambled to help her and her son out of the burning mobile home, they also tried to prevent other propane tanks from exploding.
"Kept the hose on the tanks to make sure they stay cool," said neighbor Mike Sesko. "Just try to keep it from spreading. This is the second time I've had this happen with a neighbor's place burning down."
Christinia Ibarra is thankful there was an empty lot between her home and where the explosion happened. She worried about much of this heavily wooded neighborhood erupting in flames, including her home.
"There wasn't anything we could do with the fire, but we had to protect our stuff so the fire didn't come toward us," Ibarra said. "The heat was so intense, so intense."
Investigators have not given a damage estimate, but say the mobile home was completely destroyed.
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Photos from the scene >>>