One person died early Sunday in a mobile home fire just south of Orting, the Orting Valley Fire District reported.
The man was identified as 80-year-old Charles Kimble, of Orting, by the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office. Emergency crews were called just before 1:30 a.m. to the intersection of 230th Avenue East and Patterson Road.
Orting Valley firefighters “quickly requested a second alarm upon arrival when they found a heavily involved mobile home with reports of a person trapped,” said Lt. Steve Goodwin of the Orting Valley Fire District.
Firefighters from Orting Valley were assisted by crews from East Pierce and Graham. Help also was needed to provide water support because the area has no fire hydrants, Goodwin said. Goodwin added that several civilians tried to rescue the person trapped in the home through a window, but were unsuccessful. He added that one rescuer was injured in the attempt and was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup. The injuries were reported as minor.
Crews brought the fire under control within 30 minutes, Goodwin said. They remained on the scene for several hours extinguishing hot spots and conducting an investigation. No cause of the fire has been released. Chaplains from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department were called to the scene to assist responders and family members.
kate.mcentee@thenewstribune.com
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