Two Libby men hospitalized in structure fire

SCOTT SHINDLEDECKER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 30 minutes AGO

Flames leap from a structure that caught fire at about noon Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Vanderwood Court in Libby. Libby Volunteer Fire Department firefighters were on the scene for more than one hour. Libby Volunteer Ambulance crews transported two residents to the hospital for possible smoke inhalation. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)

Libby Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Neil Benson sprays water on a structure that caught fire at about noon Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Vanderwood Court in Libby. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)

A Libby Volunteer Fire Department firefighter on the scene of a structure fire that destroyed a trailer at about noon Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Vanderwood Court in Libby. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)

Libby Volunteer Fire Department crews battled a structure fire Tuesday afternoon that sent two men to the hospital.

The call came in at 11:39 a.m. and when firefighters arrived the single wide mobile home in Vanderwood Court was fully engulfed.

Libby Volunteer Ambulance crews took the men to Cabinet Peaks Medical Center.

Fire Investigator Matt Backen was able to talk to one of the men who told him he was in a bedroom when he saw smoke come under his door and when he exited the room he saw the fire.

He helped the other man who lived there get outside. Also, someone helped a dog in a fenced-in area at the home escape.

Fire Chief Steve Lauer said the cause of the fire is under investigation. He also reported a good response to the fire with 15 firefighters, one engine and two water tenders.

Flathead Electric shut the power off so crews could work safely and officers from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office assisted with traffic control.