Newport camper explosion burns four

NEWPORT – Four people from Dexter suffered minor burns on their arms and legs Friday morning when the gas stove they were using in their camper to cook breakfast exploded.

Three adults and one teenager were in a self-contained camper at Tent Village Campground on Sebasticook Lake in Newport when the accident occurred about 8 a.m.

Newport Fire Chief Fred Hickey said that the family was cooking breakfast when an explosion rocked the recreational vehicle and blew the back wall from the camper’s frame. “You could look right inside the camper from the rear,” Hickey said.

All four victims, whose names were not available, suffered minor burns to their legs and arms, Hickey said, and drove themselves to Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield. They were treated for their injuries and later released.

Hickey said State Fire Marshal’s Office Investigator Stu Jacobs was called to the scene and determined that an open line had been activated when the gas to the trailer was turned on. “They hadn’t been using the trailer in a while,” Hickey said. “This was the first time they used the stove and when they turned the tanks on, that open line just poured the gas into the trailer. They said it was like a big ball of fire.”

Hickey said that when the gas exploded, some of the trim board inside the trailer caught fire but nearby campers used fire extinguishers to put it out. The explosion did not affect any neighboring campers, he said.

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