BARNESVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A Virginia woman was flown to a burn center after an explosion in a recreational vehicle that blew one of her two dogs through the front windshield at a state park in eastern Pennsylvania over the weekend, authorities said.
Ryan Township firefighters called to Locust Lake State Park at about 6 p.m. found “damage from a pretty heavy explosion and a small fire,” Capt. Matt Morgan told The (Hazleton) Standard-Speaker. The victim was lying on the ground with face and neck burns; Morgan said it’s unclear how she got outside the RV.
The woman, believed to be in her 70s, was treated at the scene and flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest. Morgan said her husband reported that she was in critical condition and expected to be in the burn unit for several months.
Morgan said the explosion blew out the front window of the RV and ejected the dog, but an examination by the Schuylkill County Animal Response Team determined that the animal sustained only minor burns.
The other dog was missing until the next day but later returned to the campsite.
State police determined that the explosion ignited from propane in the rear of the mobile home, and it was ruled accidental, Morgan said.
