A fire early Sunday morning in a Hoquiam RV park left one resident dead, according to the Hoquiam Fire Department.
Doyle Murphy, 91, died in the fire. It’s the first fatal fire in Hoquiam in more than 10 years, said Hoquiam Fire Chief Matt Miller.
Hoquiam Fire Department personnel, led by on-duty Capt. Larissa Rohr, got the call at just before 6 a.m. and were on-scene minutes later, Miller said.
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“The attack was started from the outside because of the intensity (of the fire). Those RVs, older ones like that, everything is combustible,” Miller said in an interview. “It stayed to the motorhome. Initial reports was that it was starting to spread to the neighboring RVs but we were able to pull a couple lines off, make an aggressive attack to stop it from going too far.”
The intense heat prevented neighbors from getting close, said Delta Plotner, who lives next door. She was woken up by a neighbor banging on her trailer that morning as they sought to alert residents.
“I looked and it was fully engulfed,” Plotner said. “I opened my door and I could feel the intense heat.”
Neighbor Chris Stuefen said he had attempted to get to the door of the RV to see if Murphy was present but was driven back by heat. The design of RVs, particularly older models, mean they can catch fire quickly and burn completely, Miller said.
“RV fires, when they go, they go,” Miller said. “They’re not built to be fire resistant. They’re built to be lightweight, mobile, and temporarily used.”
Courtesy photo / Kenneth Brown Doyle Murphy, 91, died in a fire that broke out early Sunday morning in the RV he was residing in. Murphy was remembered by neighbors as a kind, gentle man who always enjoyed dressing up for St. Patrick’s Day.
Murphy was remembered by neighbors as being a kindly man who always got dressed up for St. Patrick’s Day and was kind to children.
“He was the sweetest, gentlest man I’ve ever known. He kept to himself,” Plotner said. “He was half Irish and half Scottish. He was our little leprechaun.”
Murphy had lived at the Hoquiam River RV Park for three or four years, Plotner said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Miller said.
“The majority of the front half of the RV was severely fire damaged to the point of being almost gone,” Miller said. “Those motor homes, there’s no sheetrock. There’s no fire protection system. It’s not built airtight. It’s not sealed.”
There are a number of simple steps other RV owners can take to protect themselves, Miller said.
‘Smoke detectors save lives. Even in RVs. I know newer ones come with them. I don’t think older ones had to have them,” Miller said. “Fire extinguishers are always good.”
Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.
