Unattended candle causes RV fire, three people injured

Click here for updates on this story

    LEBANON, Oregon (KPTV) — Three people were injured after a motorhome caught fire in Lebanon Wednesday morning.

The Lebanon Fire District says crews were called out to the fire on River Road just before 6:30 a.m.

Crews arrived to the scene and found a fully-involved 30-foot Class A motorhome.

Officials say the RV was occupied by two adults and a 9-year-old child at the time of the fire.

One woman was sleeping on a sofa and woke up to find her foot on fire. She was able to escape, along with her child.

The child suffered minor burns to her hand. According to officials, the woman suffered “full thickness burns” to her foot and ankle. She was taken to an area hospital by a friend before crews arrived.

The third victim was in the rear bedroom of the RV and was trapped by the fire, according to officials.

A neighbor helped her break out a window and escape through the glass. The woman sustained minor lacerations to her foot and ankle. She was treated on scene.

Firefighters knocked down the fire 15 minutes after arriving to the scene. The RV is considered a total loss.

Officials say a candle left burning overnight was determined to be the cause of the fire.

The Lebanon Fire District would like to remind citizens of the dangers of unattended or unsupervised candles.

“Candles can be very dangerous and should never be burned unattended or while sleeping.”, noted LFD Division Chief and Fire Marshal Jason Bolen. “This incident was less than a minute away from being a triple-fatal fire, and it was a completely avoidable situation.”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.