Man killed in trailer fire was trying to save his dog, Johnson County, MO officials say
A fire that killed a man as he tried to save his dog from a mobile home in rural Johnson County over the weekend remains under investigation.
Firefighters responded just after 1 p.m. Friday to the 900 block of NW 445 Road after a caller said half of a mobile home was on fire there.
A witness told authorities that Richard Coffman, 65, who lived in the mobile home, had returned inside to save his dog.
“Neighbors reported to firefighters the resident said he was going back inside to get his dog,” said Captain Joe Jennings, with the Johnson County Fire Protection District. “They saw him enter the mobile home, but no one saw him come back out.”
Coffman’s body was later found near the dog’s body inside the mobile home. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Johnson County Coroner.
“Crews had difficulty gaining access to the property when they first arrived and had to overcome challenges to get equipment and water close to the burning mobile home,” Jennings said. “The location of the mobile home on the property, and simply the property, hindered the responder’s access. The mobile home was half engulfed when crews were able to begin searching and extinguishing the fire.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Johnson County Fire Investigations Unit and the Missouri State Fire Marshal.
