HOISINGTON — A 53-year-old man is recovering in a Wichita hospital after escaping from a structure fire Saturday morning at his residence in Hoisington.

Kris T. Tarlton, 53, was transported by private vehicle to Clara Barton Hospital and later airlifted to Via Christi in Wichita with burns over the lower half of his body, sustained when his Winnebago exploded inside a large metal pole shed at 909 E. Fifth St. in Hoisington.

Hoisington Fire Chief Jerry Stricker said Monday that the large structure was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived at the scene at approximately 10:39 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17. It was apparent that the motor home had exploded, causing the fire.

Tarlton, who had exited both the mobile home and the shed, had already been transported to Clara Barton Hospital, Stricker noted.

The number of containers of fuel and other accelerants inside the shop building hampered responders’ efforts to get the fire under control, Stricker said, and a request for mutual aid was made to the Great Bend Fire Department at approximately 11:35, which brought an additional five firefighters to the scene.

The fire was extinguished and the scene cleared at approximately 12:52 p.m.

The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office was called in to investigate. Officials on Saturday declared the building and its contents a total loss, although no dollar estimate was released.

Stricker said that after comparing his notes with that of the state fire marshal, the preliminary cause of the fire was believed to be a propane ignition from the vicinity of the stove inside the mobile home.