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| Fire Destroys Mobile Home; Residents Arrested on Drug Charges |
POSTED 9:39 pm 4/26/09, UPDATED 1:39 pm 4/27/09 A local man suffered burns and four people are facing drug charges in connection to a mobile home fire on Galesburg's east end.
Galesburg police and firefighters were called to 128 Loraine Drive inside the Kimberly Terrace complex for a mobile home completely engulfed in flames around 7:30 Sunday night.
The fire was primarily out in less than a half-hour after crews arrived, and Galesburg Fire Captain Ken Boydston tells WGIL one person was injured in blaze. "There was a neighbor that was injured trying to find out of there were dogs inside, or people inside," Boydstun said. "He got burned. They took him to the hospital. I don't know about his condition."
That neighbor, identified by police as 51-year old Gregory VanSwearingen, suffered extensive burns and was initially taken to Galesburg Cottage Hospital. He was later airlifted to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, where officials listed him in fair condition Monday afternoon.
A police report says VanSwearingen told police there was an explosion when he got inside the trailer.
Boydston says the fire might have started on the north end of the middle of the mobile home. Police evacuated nearby residences as a precaution.
Authorities later arrested four residents of the mobile home after investigators allegedly found items used to manufacture methamphetamine inside. 45-year old Gerald Beaty was taken into custody for aggravated participation in meth production, possession of anhydrous ammonia and possession of drug paraphernalia. 30-year old David Fisher was arrested on a Knox County warrant charging him with possession of meth and drug paraphernalia. 25-year old Chad Moore and 27-year old Sean Moore were both arrested on preliminary charges of aggravated participation in meth production and possession of anhydrous ammonia.
Crews were on scene for several hours Sunday night. The fire remains under investigation. Beaty, Fisher, Moore and Moore are being held in the Knox County Jail awaiting court appearances.
Stay with WGIL News and wgil.com for more details on this story.
(WGIL News Story and Photos by Will Stevenson) |
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| 04 26 09 by Newsroom |
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