Go Back

 

Man Injured In Monday Explosion, Fire

    A man received minor injuries Monday night when an explosion in a shop he was working in sparked a large fire.  Matt Parrish was working in a detached building behind a home at the intersection of CR 42 and Rea Way in Altoona around 8 p.m. when the fire broke out, injuring him and claiming the small structure.
    Units from Lake County and Umatilla responded to the scene, as did Lake EMS responders, who treated Parrish for minor injuries.
    Neighbors in the area reported hearing a large ‘boom’ around the time the fire started.  Parrish was reportedly working with resin that ignited, and Lake County Fire Marshal Michael Vitta on Tuesday confirmed the fire was ruled accidental, likely due to a chemical reaction between construction chemicals, as Parrish reported he was working with resins at the time.
    A home near the shop was spared from what became a large and hot fire quickly after igniting.  A neighbor reported a child living in the home ran to their house to seek help as the blaze began, but the structure was unable to be saved.
    Lake County, which operates a fire station just up the street from the incident, reported it was less than four minutes from the time the call came in until firefighters were on-scene.