Pasco man burned when cooking fire engulfs him. It wasn’t the only emergency that night

Pasco firefighters responded to a serious crash, a fire with burn victims, a boat rescue and five other emergencies in the span of two hours Tuesday night.

One of the most serious calls came shortly before 9 p.m. on the 5400 block of Mariner Lane, when a 26-year-old man using nitro fuel tried to start a cooking fire in a backyard, according to reports from dispatchers.

The flames engulfed him, leaving him with burns on his arms, chest and legs. A woman also had burns.

Both were taken to local hospitals but their conditions were not immediately available.

Then at 9:45 p.m., two people were seriously hurt when a driver going east on Argent Road crossed the center line and hit an oncoming driver near Road 56, Pasco police and dispatch traffic said.

One driver was trapped for a time.

Both were treated at local hospitals for non-life threatening injuries.

Investigators believe the crash was caused by a drowsy driver.

Along with medical calls, the firefighters were called to help with two water rescues, including a boat with five people stuck near near Foundation Island.

Then, West Benton Fire Rescue asked for a Pasco fire boat to respond to Prosser for a man swimming in the Yakima River. While the Pasco boat did not respond to the call, Columbia Basin Dive Rescue was called after two men needed to be rescued from the water.

Neighboring agencies helped handle some of additional calls while Pasco fire crews were tied up, said Ben Shearer, the department’s public information officer.

“Since the start of the weekend Pasco Fire Department and most of the Tri-Cities has seen an increase of more than 30 percent in 911 calls for service,” he said. “As the temperature increases so do our calls for service.”