Sky Valley residence burns to ground, considered total loss

SKY VALLEY – Despite efforts by nearly three dozen firefighters, an abandoned home burned to the ground and was considered a total loss, according to Cal Fire Public Information Officer April Newman. The blaze occurred in the 71000 block of Dillon Road, in the unincorporated area of Sky Valley. Sky Valley is located southeast of Desert Hot Springs and northeast of Palm Springs. Newman estimated the loss of the home to about $250,000.

Emergency first responders rushed to the location of the early morning fire after Riverside County emergency communications dispatchers received a 911 call from a person reporting the fire, at about 2:37 a.m.

“The first arriving engine company reported a large home well involved in fire, with exposures to the nearby vegetation and twenty to thirty mile per hour winds,” Newman wrote in a press release about the fire. Newman described the residence as an abandoned, single-story residence.

In all, 30 firefighters from 10 engine companies helped battle the blaze. A Breathing Support Unit responded to the location to assist firefighters. Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department were called to the scene to assist in crowd control, evacuating nearby residents and closing streets around the fire.

To ensure the safety of on-scene emergency first responders, Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas Company crews responded to the residence to turn off all gas and electricity to the residence.

Firefighters reportedly had the fire under control at about 4:00 a.m. However, fire personnel remained on scene for about two hours; for mop up operations and to protect against unexpected flare-ups, due to the high winds.

Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.

 

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