Fourth of July afternoon with most people involved in holiday activities, smoke rose high in the sky on the east side of Independence. A mobile home had caught fire.

Independence Volunteer fire fighters rushed to the scene and quickly forced water into the uninhabited mobile home. The former resident had died and family members had locked up the home. No one was inside.

Sheriff’s men quickly began to investigate the cause of the fire. They questioned neighbors and nearby residents. Some reports said fireworks had gone off in the vicinity the night before, but the investigation on the Fourth had not narrowed down the cause of the fire.

Owens Valley School Superintendent Joel Hampton and his wife live right next door to the mobile home. Their wood fence suffered some burn damage but the fire did not spread to any other homes in the neighborhood. A sobering interlude for Fourth of July celebrants on Sunday.

Discover more from Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading