Camper destroyed in Peru cooking accident

Peru firefighter Brandon Hamblen sprays water on the remains of a trailer fire at the Tiki RV Park on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026 in Peru. The fire happened shortly after 8:30a.m. La Salle, Utica, Oglesby, and Troy Grove fire departments were dispatched to stand by at the scene. (Scott Anderson) A cooking accident is being blamed for a Tuesday morning fire that destroyed a small camper at Tiki Inn, Peru. The occupant escaped and declined medical treatment. Peru Fire Chief Jeff King said firefighters from multiple companies were dispatched after the unidentified owner of the camper called 911 to report a fire that started when his propane stove malfunctioned. La Salle and Peru firefighters gather around the remains of a trailer fire at the Tiki RV Park on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026 in Peru. The fire happened shortly after 8:30a.m. La Salle, Utica, Oglesby, and Troy Grove fire departments were dispatched to stand by at the scene. (Scott Anderson) Firefighters arrived, King said, and found that the occupant had inhaled 'a little bit of smoke,' but he refused transfer by ambulance, so he was fine. 'He said he was starting to cook something on the stove,' King said. 'It appeared there was a stove malfunction and the fire came up. He couldn't put it out, so he got out of the trailer and by the time he made a phone call, the trailer was pretty much fully involved.' King confirmed that campers tend to be highly flammable and that this unit was small. He estimated the fire was knocked down within five to 10 minutes of arrival. La Salle, Spring Valley, Troy Grove, and Oglesby responded to the mutual aid summons.