Man burned in Ephrata apartment fire

EPHRATA — An Ephrata man suffered burn injuries Tuesday, after attempting to put out a fire that eventually destroyed his apartment.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire at Chinook Apartments on Basin Street, but said the situation didn't appear to be suspicious.

Apartment resident Victor Mack was in the home at the time of the fire, and suffered burns trying to put the fire out with a garden hose. He refused transport for his injuries, the Ephrata Fired Department said.

Ephrata Fire Chief Jeremy Burns said the fire was contained to apartment 27, but both the building and its contents were a total loss.

Damage to both the apartment structure and its valuables inside totaled $70,000, Burns said.

Authorities have not been able to determine a cause of the fire yet, but Burns said the fire did originate in one of the apartment's bedrooms.

The other resident of the apartment, Randy Dwinnel, was not believed to have been home at the time of the fire.

The Ephrata Fire Department was first called to the scene of the fire shortly after 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. Fire containment was a mutual effort of the EFD, Grant County Fire District 13 and GCFD 3.

— Staff report