House, recreational vehicle destroyed in Dupo house fire

A large structure fire was reported in the 400 block of N. 3rd St. in Dupo Wednesday.

According to Dupo Fire Chief Kelly Schaeffer, the incident started when a man was welding in his garage near a fuel tank and accidentally sparked the blaze.

Neighbors reported seeing a massive cloud of black smoke and hearing a series of “pops,” which firefighters attribute to the likely sound of exploding propane tanks and other fuel containers.

Firefighters received the call shortly before 10 a.m., were on scene within five minutes and had the fire extinguished within an hour, Schaffer said. The home and part of an RV were completely destroyed.

“Vacant garage, guy was welding near a fuel tank, guess it popped and spread all over,” said Schaffer.

The man who was welding received minor injuries from his burns. No other injuries were reported.