Fire Destroys Casper Home; Firefighter Suffers Minor Injury

Fire destroyed a single-wide mobile home and a firefighter suffered a minor injury in the 300 block of North Forest Drive early Wednesday morning, according to a news release from the Casper Fire-EMS Department.

Firefighters responded to the 4:30 a.m. call and found a well-involved fire that threatened nearby residences.

Crews extinguished the main fire and were able to limit damage to the nearby homes.

The home's residents were uninjured and safely got out before firefighters arrived.

However, one firefighter was injured and taken to the Wyoming Medical Center as a precaution, was treated and released.

Investigators determined the fire was accidentally caused by discarded smoking materials outside the residence that ignited organic materials. The fire reached nearby combustibles and then the home.

Damage is significant and the residence is a total loss.

Crews salvaged some of the occupants' personal belongings. The Wyoming Medical Center and Casper Fire-EMS provided them with medical devices lost in the fire.

Six Casper Fire-EMS units responded along with one mutual aid engine from Evansville Fire-EMS. Other responding agencies were the Wyoming Medical Center, Casper police, the Red Cross, Rocky Mountain Power and Black Hills Energy.

This was among many fires that have occurred in recent months in Casper, and marks an alarming trend because they have caused significant damage.

Casper Fire-EMS strongly urges homeowners to use caution when discarding smoking materials by putting them only in non-flammable containers such as a metal container with water and a lid.

Never discard them on the ground and never discard smoking materials in potted plants or other organic materials. As the windy season increases, the danger of these kinds of fires becomes more common.