Pioche Volunteer firefighters work on an RV at the Pioche Free RV park that suffered extensive interior damage from an early morning explosion and fire believed to have originated in the propane powered refrigerator. There were no injuries. (Courtesy photo)
Two fires on the same day destroyed a small travel trailer and an RV motor home. Both occurred June 7, one in the morning and the other at night.
Lincoln County Fire District Chief Rick Stever said the first fire happened about 5:45 a.m. at the free RV park in Pioche, behind the courthouse.
“We figure it was a faulty propane refrigerator that exploded and the resulting fire caused extensive interior damage and broken windows because of the heat,” he said.
The unidentified elderly woman who owned the RV and her dog escaped from the flames. Stever did not know the woman’s name, but said she had been traveling in her RV for some time, and had established a post office box in Pioche, and was giving thought to remaining more permanently in the Lincoln County area. She does have family living in Las Vegas.
Stever said the woman was standing along side the stove near the refrigerator when the explosion occurred. She went outside to shut off the propane, “and did see flames coming out the top of the motor home through the vent.” She re-entered the home to get a key to unlock a storage compartment and got out a garden hose to fight the fire.
Pioche Volunteer Fire and Meadow Valley Ambulance responded to the 911 call, and were able to extinguish the fire in about half an hour. There were no injuries, and the RV is a total loss. Stever said there were no other motor homes in the park at the time.
At about 11 p.m. a fire was reported in Rachel involving a small travel trailer. Ralph Meierhoff was a tenant in the 1973 20-foot travel trailer, but was not injured. Pahranagat Valley Volunteer Fire Department and Alamo Ambulance responded.
Lincoln County Sheriff Kerry Lee said Meierhoff, 60, was trying to fight the blaze with a garden hose, but the owner of the property, who wished to remain anonymous, came along with a backhoe and tore off the back wall of the trailer to put out the fire.
