Explosion reported in Big Oak Flat; two travel trailers burn
An explosion was reported at 12:07 a.m. Monday in Big Oak Flat, four engine crews and support personnel responded, and they quickly contained fires that consumed two unoccupied travel trailers, Tuolumne County Fire Department staff said Tuesday.
No people were present when firefighters arrived at the site of the explosion and fires, near Big Oak Road and Scofield Street, a block north of Highway 120. No injuries were reported.
“There was no one there when we arrived and the occupancy was difficult to determine based on the fire damage,” Tuolumne County Fire Assistant Chief Andrew Murphy said Tuesday.
County dispatchers received three calls about the explosion and fires at 12:07 a.m. Monday and another call about the fires at 12:08 a.m., according to Tuolumne County Sheriff’s logs.
“House just exploded . . . Large structure fire,” the first log entry noted.
No residential structure was involved, Murphy said Tuesday.
Engine crews responding from the Groveland area included a Groveland Community Services District Type 1 engine crew, a Tuolumne County Fire Type 1 engine crew, and a Cal Fire engine crew. Another Cal Fire engine crew responded from Coulterville. A Tuolumne County Fire water tank truck, a Tuolumne County Fire breathing support truck, a safety officer, and a battalion chief also responded.
The cause of the explosion and fires was still being investigated Tuesday, Murphy said.
Contact Guy Mccarthy at gmccarthy@uniondemocrat. net or (209) 770-0405. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @Guymccarthy.