Sallisaw Fire Chief Mike Tubbs said his department was informed that there had been an explosion at 503 E. Mayo St. in Sallisaw at 10:20 p.m. Saturday. Tubbs said they were told there was a vehicle on fire and the fire was threatening a house.
Tubbs said when firefighters got to the scene the RV, which was owned by J.L. Deen and was parked near the driveway near the home, was engulfed and the fire had spread to part of the exterior of the home near the garage.
A propane tank on the outside of the RV had also caught fire, which Tubbs said hindered firefighters from putting out the RV fire sooner.
Tubbs said it appeared someone was burned at some point in the fire because they found articles of clothing at the scene, but they haven't been able to locate that person. Tubbs said the State Fire Marshal's office and Sallisaw Police Department are now investigating the incident.
Sallisaw Police Detective David Bethany said Tuesday that the RV owner, Deen, was out of the country on vacation when the fire occurred.
Bethany said Deen, who got back into town Monday, wrote out a statement that he had given a friend permission to use his RV over the weekend. Deen told police that he had been having problems with the RV's generator, and the generator had caught fire several months ago while trying to repair it.
Deen also told police that he had set a gasoline container inside the RV and speculated that the gas fumes were ignited because his friend smoked.
Bethany said police have not been able to locate Deen's friend, described as a Mexican male, and the man's family told Deen that he was in a hospital in Tulsa being treated for burns.
"We won't know the rest of the story until we find the Mexican man," Bethany said.
While Tubbs said he could not divulge too much information since the case is still under investigation, he did say the propane tank was not the cause of the explosion and no devices of any type were found.
Tubbs said the estimated damage to the home is $5,000, and the RV, valued at $60,000, was destroyed. Tubb said it took the 16 firefighters on the scene about 45 minutes to extinguish the blaze.
Tubbs said the fire marshal investigator will determine whether the fire was intentionally or accidentally set.
