HOMELAND – Firefighters battle 1/2 acre blaze in storage lot
On Scene photography/videography:
William Hayes / Epicenter News/Loudlabs News
John Strangis / OnScene.TV
A power transformer explodes. John Strangis photo
HOMELAND – Firefighters battled a late night blaze in a storage lot on Highway 74 near Agnew Avenue Sunday, Sept. 18.
Their efforts to knock down the fire were hampered by live power lines that were melting and shooting huge sparks. As the the power lines melted they dropped into the area where firefighters were trying to bring the fire under control, further endangering their lives.
Cal Fire/Riverside County firefighters responded to the fire around 11 p.m. after multiple witnesses called 911 to report a possible structure fire.
The first arriving engine company reported flames and heavy smoke coming from a lot with several outbuildings and structures threatened.
The heat and intensity of the fire caused live power line to melt and drop into the areas where firefighters were trying to battle the blaze. John Strangis photo
As firefighting battled the blaze, they were forced back when live power lines began melting from the intense flames and heat from the fire. (Click link to view videos of the fire.) The power lines were running directly through the middle of the lot and over the center of the fire.
SoCal Edison personnel responded to the location to shut down power to the lines, that eventually melted and dropped into the area where firefighters were working.
As of 11:30 p.m. fire officials updated that they had contained the fire after it had burned about one half of an acre. They also reported damage to several outbuildings in the lot that was situated between several homes.
No injuries were reported to firefighters or citizens during the incident.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined and is under investigation.
William Hayes contributed to this report.
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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, Personnel and Background Investigations and he finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator.
Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.