HEMET – Suspects charged with arson after vegetation fire grew into major blaze

A recreational trailer was quickly destroyed as a vegetation fire near Eaton and N. Lyon Avenues grew into a raging blaze. William Whelan photo

UPDATE:10/05/2016 2:52 a.m.

Officials announced the apprehension of two minors, accused of starting a field fire that quickly grew into a city-wide emergency.

The small vegetation fire began Friday, September 30, just after 6 p.m., in a field near the area of 1900 Eaton and N. Lyon Avenues in Hemet.

As the small vegetation fire grew into a roaring blaze, mobile homes at The Foothills of Hemet Mobile Home Park and the Californian Mobile Home Park were threatened. Hemet Fire Department’s Engine 1, Engine 2, Engine 3, and Brush 1, with Cal Fire units 3172 and 3165 worked for several hours to bring the raging fire under control.

The fire eventually consumed a recreational vehicle as well as several trailers and structures on the property.

During a subsequent investigation into the fire, an arson investigator and fire officials developed information that the fire was possibly the result of arson.

During their investigation, officials were able to locate and identify two juveniles who were believed to be involved in starting the fire.

Due to the ages of the suspects, they were not identified.

The alleged suspects were released to their parents pending arson-related charges.

 

ORIGINAL STORY

HEMET – A minor vegetation fire quickly became a major city emergency when a small brush fire turned into a roaring blaze Friday, Sept. 30.

The fire took several hours to knock down and bring under control and eventually destroyed a recreational vehicle as well as several trailers and structures on the property.

At least two citizens were treated by paramedics after they were overcome by smoke inhalation, including one who reportedly suffered a severe asthma attack from thick black smoke that could be seen for miles.

The fire was first reported about 6:10 p.m. as a small vegetation fire near Eaton and N. Lyon Avenues in Hemet.

The first engine company on scene arrived within five minutes of the dispatched call and reported finding a “spotty” vegetation fire with about four to five acres burning.

Before firefighters could begin to fight the fire their immediate problem was finding a way onto the property, which had no immediate access from the roadway.

While they were searching for access to the property the fire continued to grow, bringing curious onlookers and many people from their nearby homes to watch the growing blaze.

Firefighters eventually had to cut their way through a fence to gain access to the property.

Within 17 minutes of the fire being reported – as additional engines began arriving on scene – the fire had grown to the point that an on-scene battalion commander called for the “Kirby Incident Command” to be established.

Fire officials called for assistance from Hemet Police Department due to heavy traffic in the area. Small children, who were running up and down the street and between the fire engines, further endangered the lives of both citizens and firefighters.

Fire personnel also called for several AMR ambulances to respond to the location due to citizens who were bravely trying to help firefighters extinguish the rapidly growing blaze.

Another big problem firefighters faced once they gained access to the property was a lack of a usable water source.

At 6:26 p.m. fire officials reported at least one of their engines was quickly running out of available water and they called for a water tender and additional engines to respond to the location.

To assist with fighting the fire, at least one engine company returned to their station to switch to a much larger, heavy-duty “brush rig”, designed for battling wildland and forest fires. On-scene personnel also called for additional resources and more hose packs to help firefighters be able to reach the remote property.

As the fire continued to grow more out of control, it began to threaten nearby homes and other structures. At just after 6:30 p.m. on scene personnel called for medic squads and additional police officers to respond to the scene to assist with traffic control due to so much vehicular traffic caused by increasing number of citizens driving into the area to get a closer look at the fire.

Nearly 30 minutes after the fire was first reported, firefighters finally located a usable water source; however by that time the small vegetation fire had grown into a roaring blaze that could be seen for miles. Although a water source was located, firefighters who were fighting the blaze reported poor water pressure.

Due to the size of the fire and the difficulty in trying to battle the blaze, on scene personnel called for assistance from Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

Cal Fire immediately dispatched several rigs to help battle the fire.

At about 7 p.m. Hemet Fire officials provided an update that at least one structure on the property had been consumed by the fire and that Cal Fire personnel were assisting by ferrying water to those firefighters who were still trying to bring the blaze under control.

Shortly before 8 p.m., nearly two hours after the blaze was first reported, firefighters had the blaze mostly controlled and were able to begin releasing some of the engines and medic squads to handle other calls and emergencies elsewhere in the city.

Once the fire was knocked down, the City of Hemet’s Building and Safety Department and Code Enforcement were summoned to the scene.

An arson investigator and police investigators were also requested to the location to interview one or more suspects who had been identified as possibly having started the fire.

Calls to Hemet PD for information regarding any suspects detained or arrested had not been returned or confirmed as of this report.

Miguel Shannon of Epicenter News, one of several community news reporters and photographers who was at the scene of the blaze, said he was proud and inspired by the department’s handling of the fire and emergency.

“I was very impressed at how organized the firefighters moved all the engines and their crews around,” Shannon said. “It was a very fast-spreading blaze but they were able to contain it to a small area and stop the spread to nearby mobile homes just north of the fire.”

J.P. Kemp, who also responded to the scene of the fire to document the incident reported seeing citizens from the neighborhood helping to fight the fire before the fire department arrived at the scene. He described seeing thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the air as he neared the fire.

“Firefighters did a fabulous job as they strategically maneuvered the fire engines and other apparatus to be in the best positions possible to battle the blaze,” Kemp said. “The fire was so intense I could feel the heat when I arrived on scene.”

Kemp also praised Hemet police officers for handling traffic control on the streets around the fire and for keeping curious onlookers at a safe distance fro the fire.

Shannon continued, “I am very happy that we have such a great firefighting department and police department working for the City of Hemet. They never give up and always work hard at what they do.”

 

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Video shared by Hemet Fire Department

A Hemet Fire Department Incident Log as shared live on RCNS. Trevor Montgomery

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

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.