Woman rescued from burning Blackfoot trailer; Arson investigation underway

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) — A woman was rescued from a burning trailer home west of Blackfoot on Tuesday morning, and investigators are now looking into whether the fire was intentionally set.

According to Detective Sgt. Devin Trujillo with the Bingham County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to reports of smoke coming from a trailer in a mobile home park around 5:45 a.m.

When deputies arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the trailer. Trujillo said deputies knocked on windows and doors and attempted to enter through a back door, but were forced back by the smoke.

Deputies eventually went through a front window, woke the woman inside, and pulled her to safety.

Firefighters arrived to find active flames and worked to bring the fire under control within about an hour before extinguishing remaining hot spots.

The woman was taken to Bingham Memorial Hospital for treatment. Investigators said she is now safe and staying with family in the area.

The trailer was heavily damaged and is considered a total loss.

Trujillo said detectives and the local fire marshal are investigating the cause of the fire. He said several factors led investigators to open an arson investigation, including preexisting damage to electrical equipment and fire boxes, holes in the walls, an open back door, and the fact that the woman was asleep when deputies arrived.

"There’s not a lot of arson cases we investigate here in Bingham County," Trujillo said. "There’s a lot of natural things that happen with homes that start fires. So we’re just making sure there’s nothing involved in this one that is an intentional act that started a fire."

Investigators also questioned the woman's son, who arrived at the scene after firefighters had already responded.

No other trailers or vehicles were damaged in the fire.

The investigation remains ongoing.