Neighbour 'feared the worst' as he tried in vain to alert occupants of flaming trailer

A man who struggled to rescue the occupants of a flaming trailer in his small southern Manitoba community said he felt helpless when he tried to bang on the door, only to be turned aside by the extreme heat coming from the structure.

Chris Perkins and his girlfriend were returning to his home in Vita, about 95 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, a couple of hours after midnight on Tuesday morning, when they saw smoke and what looked like a small bonfire.

He didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary until he heard a small explosion — like a door being slammed shut —which set him off to find his neighbour's trailer ablaze just a few hundred metres away from his own residence.

"It didn't really sound like a full-on explosion … I was really surprised when I looked over and saw the whole thing was gone up in flames," Perkins, 24, said.

That's when his instincts kicked in.

'What do I do?'

Perkins said his girlfriend called 911 while he hopped in his vehicle to book it over to the fiery episode. Perkins knew someone lived in the trailer — a man and his dog, he said — but he did not know if they were inside or around.

"That was really scary. You know, heart racing, adrenaline pumping, I was kind of like, 'What do I do?'"

After a quick look around to see how he could help while ensuring his own safety, Perkins said he approached the tiny trailer, screamed at it, and attempted to bang on the door to alert anyone inside. But he said he struggled to get close, due to the extreme heat.

"It was a pretty disgusting feeling, you know, just kind of looking at it and realizing … there was nothing that I could do."

Firefighters recovered the remains of one person and a dog from inside the trailer home after dousing the fire early Tuesday morning. 

Tragedy in a small community

Officials from the Rural Municipality of Stuartburn said they were were unable to disclose details about the fire and the death.

"Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family for the loss of their loved one," Ed Penner, a Stuartburn councillor, said.

Stuartburn's CAO​ Lucie Maynard was unable to verify the name of the person who is believed to be the deceased. She reiterated that one individual and one dog were found dead.

Maynard said the two-acre property where the charred camper sits is not owned by the deceased. The property owner permitted an individual to live at the site. It is unclear whether the occupant is the deceased.

The CAO said 12 volunteer firefighters from the RM of Stuartburn Fire Department tended to the fire. She was uncertain how many RCMP or additional personnel attended the scene.

RCMP Cpl. Julie Courchaine said an autopsy was expected to begin Wednesday.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

The investigation continues.