TIFTON — Three people severely burned Monday night when the camper they were living in exploded in Ty Ty continue to be treated at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta. A fund to help the family with expenses has been established at an area bank.
Ronbutes Edmondson, 50; Margaret Hammertree, 40, and Lewis Edmondson, 13, were in the pull-type camper at 140 W. North St. in Ty Ty when the explosion happened. They were transported to Tift Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to the Augusta burn center. Thursday, a spokesman for the burn center said Ronbutes and Lewis Edmondson were in fair condition and Hammertree was in critical condition.
According to a spokesman at the Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner’s office, investigators from the arson division have determined that the cause of the explosion was a 20-pound propane tank being used for cooking inside the camper. The camper was virtually obliterated by the explosion.
Wayne Whitaker, a spokesman for Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John Oxendine, said propane tanks should only be used outside.
“You can not only start a fire in the house, but they (propane tanks) give off carbon monoxide,” Whitaker said.
A fund has been established at South Georgia Banking Company to benefit the victims of the fire. Anyone wishing to donate to the fund should designate the “Edmondson Family Fund” on their check.
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