OAKLAND — Authorities are investigating a fire Tuesday night on Sawtelle Road that claimed the life of a person in a camper, the fire chief said.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office on Wednesday morning said the man who died is believed to be 46-year-old William Halley. His body has been taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Augusta for examination.
Halley lived alone in the trailer, which was parked in the driveway of a friend’s home.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but officials are looking closely at the camper’s propane heater, according to the fire marshal’s office.
The property belongs to Kirk Mullen and the fire took place in a camper next to a mobile home, Coughlin said. He said Mullen was not the victim.
“When we first arrived on scene, the camper was totally engulfed,” Coughlin said. “There was a report someone was inside, but at that point it was not habitable. There was too much fire.”
The property includes several mobile homes and someone in one of the neighboring buildings reported the fire, he said.
No other injuries were reported. The Office of State Fire Marshal is investigating the fire with assistance from the Oakland Police Department.
Firefighters from Belgrade, Sidney and Rome as well as Oakland were at the scene, and firefighters from Smithfield covered the Oakland station.
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