Prineville-area man fatally electrocuted while burning designs into wood

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 26-year-old man was fatally electrocuted Tuesday afternoon while burning decorative designs into wood outside his camp trailer at an RV park east of Prineville, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said.

Deputies and Crook County Fire & Rescue medics were dispatched shortly after 3 p.m. to the report of a traumatic injury at the Lakeshore RV Park on the Ochoco Highway about six miles east of Prineville, Sgt. Mitch Madden said.

Deputies found a man, later identified as Kyle Johnson, lying on the ground by a camp trailer, Madden said. They disconnected the power supply to the trailer, but it was not immediately clear if any external or homemade power supplies were connected to it.

Fire medics arrived shortly afterward and used non-conductive tools to disconnect a power cord and supply, Madden said. Johnson died at the scene.

Investigating deputies said it appeared Johnson had built a homemade power supply box to burn decorative designs into wood. A wood-burning tool was connected by extension cord to a power outlet in the trailer.

Madden said Johnson was in the process of burning some wood when he was electrocuted, for unknown reasons. It appears no ground fault circuit interrupter plug or breaker had been tripped.

Also assisting at the scene were the Prineville Funeral Home and Prineville police, for family notification.