PEABODY – Three men were rushed to the hospital after a camper caught fire in Peabody.
Two men were medflighted to a nearby hospital and another was transported in an ambulance after being burned in the fire. There is no update on their conditions, but investigators said all three were alert and talking.
Peabody Fire Chief Jay Dowling said the victims were family members who were working on the camper when it caught fire. Neighbors said the victims were a grandfather, son and grandson. Video from a Ring camera showed the explosion and a man running from the burning camper before rolling to the ground.
CBS Boston
“We heard a huge explosion and when I looked out the window I saw huge amounts of smoke going up into the air. You could see the flames from the house across the street. When I walked down the street I saw the camper on fire,” said neighbor John O’Donnell.
Neighbors said they quickly ran out of their homes to help the victims.
“It was like a shock to my body, like an adrenaline rush. Just a different level of adrenaline that I’d never felt before. I wasn’t panicking externally, I was more panicking internally,” said one neighbor.
The fire also melted the cladding of a nearby house.
“They stopped it from spreading to two adjacent homes. You can see the one here with the melted siding. And we had one on this side of the street as well. They did a great job. Great stop to keep it from spreading inward to the homes,” Chief Dowling said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Tammy Mutasa
