WASHINGTON CITY — A motorhome was destroyed after it caught fire in the parking lot on Telegraph Street early Wednesday morning.

Firefighters and police units were dispatched to the scene of a vehicle burning in the parking lot of Walmart shortly after 7 a.m. A motorhome caught fire, and flames and smoke could be seen from Interstate 15. The occupants were able to evacuate safely and were outside waiting for responders to arrive.

Meanwhile, a bystander approached a semitractor-trailer parked just feet from the burning vehicle to see if anyone was sleeping inside and possibly unaware of the fire burning close by.

A video that includes several clips of the blaze that were provided to St. George News, courtesy of Drew Judd can be seen at the top of this report. 

Washington City Police Lt. Kory Klotz told St. George News that shortly before the fire started, the owner of the motorhome was completing mechanical repairs from an enclosure located inside the motorhome through an access point that opened up to the engine compartment.

Klotz said fuel cans were located near where the owner was working, and he was possibly using gasoline to start the carburetor, but at some point, he said, the fumes inside of the motorhome ignited and spread quickly.

“Once those fumes ignited and the fire took off,” Klotz added.

Within a few minutes, the entire vehicle was fully engulfed in flames that were fueled by that strong radiant heat emitted from the aluminum siding that contributed to the spread of the blaze.

Firefighters arrived within a few minutes and were joined by additional engines and crews that attacked the blaze that was burning through the length of the motorhome and spreading quickly.

Once the active flames were extinguished, crews continued to douse the vehicle to bring down the temperature and ensure all burning embers that could be concealed within the wreckage were extinguished to prevent it from reigniting later.

The unoccupied semitractor-trailer parked just feet from the burning vehicle was left undamaged by the blaze. The truck and trailer were quickly moved once the driver returned and saw the burned out motorhome that was still smoking with heat emanating from the scorched frame.

It took several hours to remove the burned wreckage from the parking lot, said Klotz , adding it was an operation that took more than four hours to complete.

This report is based on statements from police, emergency personnel or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. 

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