UPDATED: Three displaced by Hemet blaze on Ivy Street

UPDATED: 07/08/2016 5:30 p.m. With interview from the fire victim.

 

Vanessa Marie Fuentes, whose home and car were destroyed by last night’s fire talked about her harrowing ordeal and how her family lost everything they owned, including their 8-week-old puppy, named Rosie.

Fuentes explained she first became aware her home was on fire when her fiancé woke her up yelling, “Get up! Get up!”

“I looked through the window and all I saw was an orange sky and smoke all around,” Fuentes explained. “At first, I thought it was my neighbor’s house on fire so I quickly put on some pants, and grabbed my phone and keys. I went to turn on the light and that’s when I realized my whole home was completely engulfed in flames.”

“As we ran out of the room I couldn’t even see in front of me through the thick, choking smoke,” Fuentes said.

“As I started to feel my way to the front door my fiancé went to our garage, trying to save our puppy,” Fuentes said. “As he opened the garage door smoke and flames came bursting into the house.”

“As we ran to the front of the house I panicked for a few seconds…the noises and images from last night are embedded in my mind forever,” Fuentes explained. “All I could hear were what sounded like bombs going off inside my home as if I were in a war zone. All I could see was thick black smoke and bright orange glow from the flames.”

“Witnesses later told me they first saw smoke and flames at 11:38 p.m.,” Fuentes explained.

For now, Fuentes and her family are trying to take the first steps to recovery. “We have no home or any family nearby that we can go stay with,” according to Fuentes. “The Red Cross has helped us for the next few days but after that, I’m not sure what my family is going to do.”

 

UPDATED: 07/08/2016 2:45 p.m. With images and video from the scene of last night’s fire.

 

HEMET – A residential fire was reported to Hemet Fire Department shortly before midnight last night, Thursday, July 7. The fire reportedly began in the home’s attached garage but quickly spread throughout the attic and into the home. When fire personnel arrived on scene they found the garage fully engulfed in flames.

Robert Carter, of Public Safety Incidents, arrived shortly before fire crews and found neighbors trying to help suppress the fire with garden hoses, (See main image and first video.)

Just after his arrival, Carter witnessed Vanessa Marie Fuentes and an unidentified male, believed to be her fiancé, run outside from the blazing residence. Although the two safely got out of the home, they were not able to find or save their 8-week-old puppy named Rosie. The dog reportedly perished in the fire.

Once Hemet Fire personnel arrived they quickly began setting up hoses and equipment to battle the fire, which was rapidly spreading from the garage to the rest of the residence. Other Engine Companies began arriving and assisted with suppressing the fire and ventilating the roof, to allow the heat and fire to dissipate.

The fire displaced the three residents, including two adults and a child. The three were provided assistance by the Valley Community Pantry that offered to set the victims up at the local Holiday Inn for a few nights. By about 2 a.m. the American Red Cross arrived to provide additional assistance to the victims.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. However, the blaze appeared to have begun at or near a couch inside the garage. It was initially believed that an electrical short near the couch might have been the source of the fire, although that has not yet been officially confirmed.

In a GoFundMe account set up by Fuentes’ mother, she described what the young couple was going through and how much they had lost in the fire, “My daughter lost so much last night. Toys, children’s clothing, home supplies, all memorabilia of her children’s youth, and Fuentes’ 2016 vehicle. I’m here to ask for prayers and to help get my daughter back on her feet and into a home for her and her children.”

(More photographs below.)

Before the arrival of fire personnel, a nearby resident used a garden hose to try to assist in suppressing the raging fire. Robert Carter / Public Safety Incidents

Once firefighters arrived they began setting up hoses and all the equipment they would need to battle the residential fire. Robert Carter / Public Safety Incidents

Once they ready and their hoses were connected to water sources, fire personnel immediately began battling the blaze. Robert Carter / Public Safety Incidents

Hemet Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control. But the home had already been severely damaged by the fire. Robert Carter / Public Safety Incidents

 

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