Two people were sent to the hospital after Glenwood Springs Fire responded to a fire involving a recreational vehicle at the Hideout Campground just after midnight Monday.
Crews were called at 12:06 a.m. to the Hideout Campground, located at the corner of Midland Avenue and Three Mile Road in the south Glenwood area, on a report of an RV-type mobile home on fire.
Before firefighters arrived, neighbors were able to remove one of the two occupants from the RV, Glenwood Springs Fire Chief Gary Tillotson said.
Upon arrival, firefighters reported heavy smoke from a fire in an exterior wall and beneath the RV. Wood skirting around the base of the RV also contributed to the fire’s spread, Tillotson said.
Firefighters removed the second occupant from the RV and then focused on putting out hotspots and general cleanup, according to a press release sent Monday afternoon.
“Two individuals were transported to Valley View Hospital for smoke inhalation and burns,” according to the release. One of the neighbors who had helped later went to the hospital, also suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation, Tillotson said.
The couple who were living in the RV lost a pet dog in the fire, he said.
The cause of the fire was traced to “improperly discarded smoking material,” according to the release.
The fire was investigated by members of the Garfield County Fire Investigation team, which determined it to be unintentional.
Two fire engines, one ambulance, a command vehicle, and eight firefighters responded to this incident.
Glenwood Fire recommends smoke alarms be installed and in working order in any type of residential unit, including RVs.
“Smoke alarms can mean the difference between life and death in a fire, and working smoke alarms cut the chance of dying in a fire in half,” according to the release.