PEA RIDGE -- Multiple fire-ambulance agencies were dispatched to the White Oak Station in Pea Ridge on Wednesday morning, to care for five people injured in a structure fire in rural McDonald County, Mo.
A home at 1600 Buzzard Roost, Washburn, Mo., 4.5 miles north of Pea Ridge, reportedly exploded and caught fire.
The fire chief of White Rock, Mo., Fire Department was the first on the scene, according to Washburn, Mo., Fire Chief Danny Dalton who said the house was engulfed when firefighters arrived.
He declined to name the residents.
Pea Ridge School District officials did identify one of injured people as Talina McDonald, an employee with the district. No family members were available for comment Wednesday.
Rogers Fire Chief Tom Jenkins said the victims were driven from the explosion scene to the White Oak Station in Pea Ridge.
Dalton said the closest ambulance to the rural area is Pea Ridge Fire-EMS and the next option would be for a Freeman ambulance to be dispatched from Noel, Mo.
Pea Ridge Fire-EMS took a 17-year-old female to an area hospital, according to Fire Chief Jack Wassman. Bella Vista and Rogers ambulances took two persons to landing zones for helicopter ambulances which landed at the Police Department station and in the parking lot at Ace Hardware, just north of the scene.
Rogers ambulance also took an adult male to the hospital, according to Wassman.
Ambulances from Pea Ridge, Bella Vista and Rogers were dispatched to the White Oak Station on South Curtis Avenue.
"Between Pea Ridge, Bella Vista, Rogers, both Lifeline 1 and Lifeline 5, everybody worked together very, very well. Good hand-off on patients, all paramedics did a great job getting them -- burn patients -- to definitive care," Wassman said.
Missouri fire marshal investigator Grant Wheeler was on the scene early Wednesday morning to determine the cause of the fire. Wheeler said he is based in Mount Vernon, Mo.
At 5:36 a.m., the Pea Ridge police were dispatched to the area of the White Oak Station to assist multiple fire departments, according to Lt. Michael Lisenbee, public information officer.
"Our requested assistance was to provide traffic control while first-responders rendered emergency care to multiple victims of a house fire that occurred in Missouri. Clearing any confusion on the matter, the Pea Ridge Police Department is not currently involved with any criminal investigations pertaining to the event that occurred in Missouri," Lisenbee said.
Jenkins said an ambulance and fire trucks were sent to Pea Ridge to assist with providing care for the victims.
Rogers firefighters didn't respond to the fire scene in Washburn, Jenkins said.
There are a couple of fundraising efforts for the family posted on Facebook, including one from Pea Ridge Cafe identifying Kadense McDonald as one of the victims.
Annette Beard may be reached by email at abeard@nwadg.com. Tracy L. Neal may be reached by email at tneal@nwadg.com.