UPDATE: 1 found dead inside fire-ravaged home near West Richland
A man was found dead inside a manufactured home near West Richland after an early morning fire burned through the home.
Benton County sheriff’s deputies and Benton County Fire District 4 firefighters found his body inside the home on the 21000 block of East Ruppert Road near Fox Hill Drive on Monday afternoon, said District 4 Chief Paul Carlyle.
The man’s identity has not been released.
His three family members managed to get out alive after the blaze broke out about 4:30 a.m. Monday but they weren’t sure at first if he’d gotten trapped inside.
When firefighters arrived, the double-wide mobile home was engulfed in flames. Ruppert Road was closed as firefighters fought the blaze because the hoses had to cross the roadway.
Damaged to the mobile home’s roof and floor delayed efforts to get inside to search for the man.
Sheriff’s deputies are still investigating what started the fire.
Benton County Fire Districts 1 and 2, along with the Richland Fire Department, helped.
This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 10:18 AM.