Bismarck, ND – At approximately 5:48 AM on Tuesday, July 18, 2023 the Central Dakota Communications Center received a call for a fire in a mobile home, located at 1119 University Drive. When the fire department arrived, they reported heavy fire and smoke coming from the fully involved residence with fire spread to the adjacent trailer. Initial reports indicated that both trailers were occupied.
Fire crews arrived on scene to find heavy fire showing form the street side of a trailer home. Fire crews made contact with the occupants of both buildings and confirmed that everyone was out. Fire crews pulled fire attack hose lines to the the side doors and made entry. They attacked the fire with their hose streams and did a secondary search of the trailer. When the fire was extinguished, fire crews overhauled the home to find and put out any smoldering materials.
Seven fire department apparatus and 20 fire fighters were dispatched to the scene. The fire trailer suffered heavy fire damage to the porch and front end of structure, with smoke damage throughout. The neighboring trailer received fire damage to the exterior sheathing.. The residents of the home were transferred to the hospital to receive treatment for smoke inhalation. One family pet, a dog, did not survive the fire. Two people are credited with saving the life of a person with limited mobility by pulling them out of the trailer.
At approximately 6:02 AM the fire department was dispatched to the 2400 block of East Thayer Avenue for a second report of a mobile home on fire.
The first arriving fire crew found a single-wide trailer home that was fully involved in flame. The fire crew established command and used the fire engine mounted master stream to knock down the flames from the steet. Fire crews then pulled fire hose lines to attack the fire inside the trailer, and to protect the neighboring home from fire exposure. The fire was under control in approximately 15 mins. After the fire was extinguished, the building was ventilated of smoke, an overhaul operation was conducted to find any remaining smoldering materials. There were no injuries to occupants or to first responders. The trailer where the fire occurred was vacant, but homeless people were reported to be squatting there in recent days.
The Bismarck Police Department assisted with scene control. Metro Area Ambulance was on scene to provide medical support. The cause of both fires is under investigation. It is believed that there is no connection between these two fires.