LOWER LAKE — A male employee was seriously injured Friday when a fire ignited at Brown”s RV Sales in Lower Lake. The unidentified victim was transported to Redbud Hospital where he was flown via REACH air ambulance for treatment to Santa Clara Burn Center. A second unidentified employee also received minor burns to his hand.
Multiple propane tanks presented an extreme hazard to those fighting the fire, particularly two 300-gallon fill tanks that were threatened by the encroaching fire.
“Most of the explosions were the tires on the motor homes. No propane tanks exploded, but anytime you have a propane tank that close to a fire it”s pretty scary,” reported Lake County Fire Protection District (LCFPD) Battalion Chief George Murch. “The small propane tanks on the RV and a 70-gallon tank on the motor home they were all on fire and the flames were actually impinging on the large fill tank. Once we got the fire knocked down, we sent personnel in there to isolate and shut-off the existing propane tanks.”
According to Murch, the fire may have been caused by an employee error. “It appears that a couple of employees were filling a motor home and somehow they ignited the motor home and the two RVs next to it,” Murch reported at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Friday. “However, our investigator and an investigator from CalFire are still on scene working to determine the actual cause.”
Murch said the male victim sustained burns to 30 percent of his body. “We had to intubate him because his face was so charred around his mouth and nose before we flew him out,” he said.
The incident was dispatched at 9:55 a.m. According to Murch, the first LCFPD unit, which had to travel from the Clearlake station, arrived at 9:58 a.m. and the first engine arrived at 10:03 a.m. “Response time could have been quicker but we have limited resources to staff the Lower Lake station,” Murch commented. “We are staffing as best we can down there. We are usually staffed during the day (eight hours) and we working toward 24 hour coverage, but right now there are staffing limitations and we need more volunteers and more funding.”
Response was rendered by LCFPD, Kelseyville and Clearlake Oaks fire stations and CalFire. Additional assistance was provided by the Clear Lake Area California Highway Patrol and the Lake County Sheriff”s office as well as the Clearlake Police Department and Community Patrol.
As a result of the incident, a portion of Highway 53, between Dam Road and the Highway 29 junction, was closed to traffic and re-routed via Dam Road and Lake Street for approximately one hour.
For information on becoming a volunteer firefighter, contact the Lake County Fire Protection District at 994-2170.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
