Nampa man dies trapped in burning motor home along Interstate 84

Amado Martinez Perez, 68, couldn’t escape his RV in time Friday morning on the side of Interstate 84 outside of Mountain Home.

Dispatchers received a call about the fire at 8:39 a.m. Perez, believing the RV had run out of fuel, had poured gasoline down the carburetor. Its engine then caught on fire when he tried to start the RV back up, according to information released Friday afternoon by the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office.

Perez tried to leave the RV but couldn’t open the door. A friend outside the motor home was also unable to open it, and directed Perez to a rear window, which they tried to break to create an escape route, ECSO reports.

The friend, an Idaho State Police trooper and a truck driver all tried to get Perez out of the back of the RV, but “the fire overcame the rescue attempts,” the statement from the sheriff’s office read.

The investigation is ongoing.

The fire blocked traffic temporarily in I-84’s westbound lanes. As of 10:40 a.m. all lanes were back open, according to ISP.

This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 9:18 AM with the headline "Nampa man dies trapped in burning motor home along Interstate 84."