SALEM, Ind. (WDRB) -- A woman is dead and her husband is in the hospital after a possible explosion and fire at a mobile home in southern Indiana early Monday.
It happened a little after 1:30 a.m. on Raneer Drive in Salem, according to Salem Fire Chief Mark Day. Crews responded to a report of a home explosion to find the home in flames.
Day said three people were inside when it happened, and firefighters found a woman dead in the home. Family members identified her as 58-year-old Barbara Bolin. Her husband, Benny Bolin, suffered burn injuries in the fire and was flown to UofL Hospital in downtown Louisville for treatment.
"By the time I got outside to the front of my house, I could see the smoke just rolling out," said April Spalding, the Bolin's niece who lives just across the street. "I started screaming that my family was in that home."
Barbara Bolin's special needs son, Daniel Denton, made it out of the home uninjured.
"It was like the largest torch you could ever think of," Spalding recalled. "The flames weren't just like rolling out, they were like shooting out."
A cause has yet to be determined, but family members said they believe oxygen tanks in the home, that Barbara used to help with her breathing, may have led to the explosion.
"Devastating, especially when you're standing there watching the house engulfed in flames, and there's nothing anybody can do because the oxygen tanks just keep blowing up," Spalding said.
The mobile home was deemed a total loss. The State Fire Marshal is leading the investigation.
Family members are collecting donations for clothes, shoes and other essential items. They've also started a GoFundMe to help with fundraising efforts.
More Local News:
Owner speaks out after west Louisville bar's liquor license suspended after shooting
64-year-old man dies days after hit-and-run crash in west Louisville
Thousands march in downtown Louisville against President Trump in 'No Kings' protest
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
