Van drives through garage, sparks fire that destroys trailer
<span>A Walsh man is lucky to be alive after a car versus trailer home collision sparked a fire that destroyed both on Sunday night.</span>
<span>Eric DeRousse, who was renting the trailer at 5470 Walsh Road, told the Herald Tribune he was preparing for work and had just exited the shower five minutes before a white van plowed into the bathroom.</span>
<span>"I came out and opened the passenger side door (of the van) to try and drag him out if need be and there was nobody there," said DeRousse, still wearing half his work uniform.</span>
<span>Prior to colliding with the trailer, the van - apparently heading southbound on Walsh road - exited the roadway on the left side and drove through a small detached garage.</span>
<span>A nearby sedan and an ATV were also set ablaze in the resulting fire.</span>
<span>DeRousse said, and Randolph County Sheriff Shannon Wolff confirmed, that the van did not have license plates.</span>
<span>"We are working on trying to get some identifiers on the vehicle," Wolff said. " The VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) has either been melted or pulled off."</span>
<span>The trailer has a Chester fire tag, so the CFD was paged out at 10:18 p.m. as first responders, with the Ellis Grove Volunteer Fire Department assisting. Firefighters were back in service at 1:33 a.m.</span>
<span>"We're not really sure (what caused the fire," said Chester Fire Chief Marty Bert. "The trailer was all electric, so we don't know if the gas line on the van ruptured when it went through the garage."</span>
<span>DeRousse said the collision happened about 10 p.m. and he felt the trailer shift. DeRousse's girlfriend reported seeing the driver flee the scene.</span>
<span>"They had a jersey-type of shirt on with a ballcap and jeans," DeRousse said.</span>
<span>Bert said the State Fire Marshal's Office has been called in to investigate and the van was removed Sunday night for investigative purposes.</span>
<span>Wolff said his agency is continuing to investigate the incident.</span>
<span>The trailer is owned by Scott McDonough. DeRousse told the Herald Tribune he does not have renter's insurance.</span>