One man died in a mobile home fire Friday afternoon in the 900 block of NW 445 Road in rural Johnson County.
The fire was reported at 1:03 pm, by a person who reported that half of the mobile home was on fire. While firefighters were responding, the resident of the home was reported to have re-entered the home to retrieve a dog. The resident was located deceased inside the mobile home with the dog deceased nearby.
The deceased was identified as Richard Coffman, 65, who was pronounced dead at the scene by Johnson County Coroner Clark Holdren.
“Three District stations responded as well as one station from Johnson County Fire Protection District #2,” said Captain Joe Jennings. “Crews had difficulty gaining access to the property when they first arrived and had to overcome challenges to get equipment and water close to the burning mobile home. The location of the mobile home on the property, and simply the property, hindered responders’ access. The mobile home was half engulfed when crews were able to begin searching and extinguishing the fire.”
“Neighbors reported to firefighters the resident said he was going back inside to get his dog,” said Jennings. “They saw him enter the mobile home, but no one saw him come back out.”
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Missouri State Fire Marshal with assistance from the Johnson County Fire Investigation Unit.
Johnson County Fire Protection District
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