A Lowell man died in a mobile home park fire in Eagle Creek Township Tuesday night that drew more than a dozen area fire departments to extinguish the blaze, officials said.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Richard Leoni, 67. He died at the scene from smoke inhalation resulting from a fire; the coroner’s office ruled Leoni’s death was an accident.
Around 6:28 p.m. June 18, the Lowell Fire Department was dispatched to a mobile home fire in the 100 block of Baldwin Road in the Apple Valley mobile home community in unincorporated Eagle Creek Township.
Firefighters and Tri-Creek EMS arrived first to find a heavily involved fire and a report of one person trapped inside the home, according to a release from the fire department.
Because of the proximity to other homes, the fact that someone was trapped and the fire’s advanced stage, the fire department requested mutual aid, personnel and water from 13 neighboring fire departments.
Lowell firefighters from the first arriving engine were able to pull a hose line, assemble a rescue team and enter the heavy smoke and fire conditions to find the victim, later identified as Leoni, in a part of the home that was heavily involved with fire.
Firefighters removed Leoni from the home and put him in the care of EMS but because of the extent of his injuries, Leoni died at the scene.
Firefighters found the home’s other occupant, the homeowner, who EMS evaluated at the scene and was not transported to the hospital. There were no reported firefighter injuries or illnesses on the scene.
The cause and details of the fire are under investigation by the Lowell Fire Department Arson Investigation Division; Indiana Department of Homeland Security Division of Fire & Building Safety; Office of the State Fire Marshal; Crown Point Fire Rescue: Arson Investigation K9; Lake County Sherriff’s Detective Division; and the Lake County Coroners Officer.
