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Three flown to burn center after family caught in trailer fire in Sevier County

Posted at 3:21 PM, Oct 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-02 17:21:42-04

SEVIER COUNTY, Utah — A Clinton family is being treated for burn injuries after a trailer fire in Sevier County early Sunday morning, and three of the five family members were flown to the University of Utah burn center.

The Richfield Communications Center first received a report about the fire at 6:57 a.m. The caller told dispatchers a trailer was on fire near the Mytoge Mountain road just south of Fishlake.

A family of five, ages 7 to 40, suffered burns to their faces and extremities. Severity of the injuries ranged from first to second-degree burns, according to a press release from the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office.

The father of the family told authorities he had just struck the igniter on a propane heater when the entire trailer erupted in flames while they were inside, according to the sheriff’s office.

“The explosion caught several items on fire and melted items inside the trailer and separated a seam in the roof,” the sheriff’s office states. “The rest of the trailer appeared to be undamaged.”

While on the phone with dispatch the family told authorities they were driving from the site of the fire toward Richfield, and EMTs met the family along the way and then transported them to Sevier Valley Hospital.

Three of the family members were then flown to the University of Utah burn center, while a fourth was taken via ambulance to the burn center. The fifth family member was treated and released, but they chose to accompany their injured relative in the ambulance.