Two critically injured in Cerro Gordo fire

Dec. 21– Two men were critically burned in Cerro Gordo last night while they were attempting to replace a fuel pump on a sport utility vehicle, according to Hardin County Fire Chief Melvin Martin.

Local residents Nicky Durbin and Jerry McCasland were airlifted for treatment to an area hospital after the large shop building they were in caught fire around 7:30 p.m.

"The fuel pump is inside the fuel tank. In the process, something ignited. Nothing blew up," Martin said.

A five-stack propane heater utilizing an open flame was mounted on a wall of the shop building within 15 or 20 feet of where McCasland and Durbin were working, he said.

The shop building at 95 Durbin Road was totally destroyed, as were the five vehicles, two boats, two all-terrain vehicles and a Harley Davidson motorcycle inside.

Martin said the heat of the fire melted siding on the nearby residence, but firefighters kept the home from burning.

Cerro Gordo (Dist. 4) volunteer firefighters responded, assisted by Bucktown (Dist. 5) and Hardin County’s Station 12 in Savannah.