BOZEMAN — Flames engulfed a travel trailer being used for housing off of 19th in Bozeman on Saturday, January 7.
MTN News caught flames billowing out of the trailer just after the fire was reported.
MTN's Jane McDonald followed up with witnesses on Sunday to understand what happened.
"Where are they going to go, where are they going to turn to? This is the second or third trailer that I've seen burn down, the one over by Applebees last week burned down. I was coming home down 7th and saw that one going up about a week or two ago," said Gary, a witness to the fire.
It's a problem that Bozeman Fire battalion Chief Travis Barton says has gotten worse over the years, trailer and RV fires.
"My roommate and my fiancee were coming back from playing a couple of games of pool down at ponderosa and we saw the flames and wanted to stroll by. It's just more and more of these trailers have been popping up and as the weather gets colder there's people burning propane and are really running a risk they may not know of because something like this can happen," said Gary.
One engine and a battalion chief responded to the fire. No one was injured and the flames were extinguished in less than 15 minutes. Battalion Chief Barton says the cause was a makeshift heating appliance.
"That's kind of the story of ultimate loss. I just drove by it again today as we were on the way to the gas station to fill up the truck. It was a somber feeling, nobody milling about. I wish there was something we could do about it," said Gary.
Battalion Chief Barton urges people not to use makeshift heating appliances in enclosed spaces.
One thing Gary says he'll remember about seeing the flames...
"A lot ran through my mind. More than you probably have time to hear about. What's the city going to do about this ongoing problem that's not just here behind Townpump and Winco, but behind lowes, behind Kenyon, anywhere where there's a street like this, a field like this, that developers are waiting to hit? And umm is everyone ok?", said Gary.
