The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.
ERATH, La. — An Iberia Parish sheriff’s deputy is dead and another injured after a fire at their mobile home in Erath.
The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as Lt. Paul Lancon, 35, and confirmed the injured man is also a deputy with the department, according to the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but preliminary findings point to a possible electrical malfunction.
Firefighters with the Erath Volunteer Fire Department arrived at the home in the 2400 block of Conrad Road around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday and found the injured deputy in the front yard suffering from smoke inhalation and burns. Lancon’s body was later found among the home’s remains in a hallway, a release from fire marshal’s spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue said.
The roommates were asleep when the fire started. The surviving deputy woke to loud noises and discovered the trailer full of smoke. He tried several times to escape before finally managing to crawl through a bathroom window, Rodrigue said.
Once outside, he tried to reach Lancon but was too late, the release said.
The case remains under investigation. Fire marshal’s deputies are also working to determine if there were working smoke alarms in the mobile home.
Lancon’s official cause of death is pending with the Vermilion Parish Coroner’s Office.
A GoFundMe has been started to assist with Lancon’s funeral expenses and help replace the surviving deputy’s lost clothing and other possessions.
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