Early Morning Fire Strikes Dry Campsite in Manson Saturday

Manson Fire crews responded early Saturday morning to sounds of an explosion and a fire above Roses and Wapato Lakes.

Chief Arnold Baker says it took them a little while to find the site and the access road.

"It turned out to be an orchard that had campsites in it. It was a dry campsite with a car and a popup tent/trailer with a couple sleeping inside. The tent/trailer caught fire."

The couple inside was able to get out, but they were burned badly enough that they were airlifted to Harborview Medical in Seattle.

Firefighters contained the fire to about an acre after it expanded to destroy the car and burn in some nearby grass.

Chief Baker says the couple heard some popping underneath the camper before the fire started.

"We're figuring that probably the heater/refrigerator in those little trailers would be the only power source. It's a dry campsite, so there's no utilities other than what the trailer had itself."

Chief Baker believes the explosions may have been the smaller propane tanks in the camper.

The fire was out in roughly three hours.