One Flown to Utah Hospital after Buhl Fire
BUHL, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) When the Buhl Fire Department arrived on the scene at 4263 N 1400 E, there were multiple out buildings and camper trailers on fire.
An outbuilding is classified as any free standing building such as a shop, storage shed, wooden building that is not a home.
“Multiple camp trailers that were parked and being used as sleeping areas,” said Buhl Fire Chief Andrew Stevens.
The cause of the fire is unknown. The fire department has paired up with the State Fire Marshal to go through the evidence to find the cause of the ignition.
“It’s undetermined right now. Once we kind of look at the evidence a little bit more and talk with the State Fire Marshal. We could have a direct cause or origin at a later date,” Stevens said.
There were no initial fatalities, but one woman was taken away by Air St. Luke’s.
"We started attacking the fire and there was one fire victim. She was sleeping in one of the trailers. She woke up to the fire and she was able to get out of the trailer. But she was injured bad enough and had multiple burns to her. So she was life-flighted or taken by Air St. Luke’s to Salt Lake City," Stevens said.
The Buhl Fire Department paired up with the Castleford and Filer fire departments, Buhl Quick Response Unit's, Magic Valley Paramedics, Buhl EMS and the State Fire Marshal to fight the flames.
Because so many departments had to be called in, the classification of alarm for the blaze was raised.
“With each alarm certain resources get dispatched. With a small department like us we pretty much dispatch everything we have. And then we ask for mutual aid,” Stevens said.
The investigation is still on-going. But by calling in the State Fire Marshal, it allows more hands to sift through debris and more eyes to look at photographs to close the case.
“We are just trying to narrow down ignition sources and eliminate anything as possible ignition sources before we actually make a determination as far as a direct cause,” Stevens said.
The status of the woman sent to the hospital is unknown at this time.