Mobile Home Explosion in Hatfield

Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 105 Faith Lane in Hatfield in reference to a residence that had exploded and was on fire on Friday, April 3, 2015.  The residence was described as a single-wide mobile home.  Polk County also dispatched the Hatfield Fire Department and Southwest EMS to the scene. Prior to arriving, dispatch advised that the occupants were out of the residence, but had received burns.

Upon arrival of law enforcement, Hatfield Volunteer Fire Department was already on scene and fighting the fire.  Upon inspection it appeared that most of the smoke and fire were coming from the west end of the structure.

The occupants of the residence, identified as Linda Pilgrim, age 55, and Richard Fox, age 53, both of Hatfield, were located at a neighbor’s residence.  Mr. Fox had burns on his arms and torso, however Pilgrim had more significant burns on her body.

Shortly after deputies made contact with the victims, Southwest EMS arrived at the scene and began treating the victims.  The victims were transported to Mena Regional Health System and were later transported to another hospital via helicopter.

Although the cause of the fire is still under investigation, it appears that an explosion occurred in the west end of the mobile home, blowing that end of the residence completely off of the mobile home.  The exterior door on the south side of the residence was also blown away from the mobile home.  All indications are that the explosion and fire were a result of a propane gas leak that ignited in the gas stove area of the residence.

Neighbors at the scene confirmed that Mr. Fox had been working on the propane cook stove the day prior to the incident.

About Author

Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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