HEMET: Shadow Canyon apartment fire quickly extinguished by residents

HEMET – Reports of an apartment fire brought numerous emergency first responders rushing to the Shadow Canyon Apartments Friday, Nov. 25.

The apartment complex is in the 3000 block of W. Acacia Avenue, east of S. Sanderson Avenue. A frantic 911 caller reported the fire to City of Hemet emergency dispatchers at 7:38 p.m.

The fire was reportedly burning in an apartment located towards the north side of the complex and the 911 caller reported there were juveniles inside the apartment.

Four engine companies, one truck company, a paramedic squad, and a battalion commander were dispatched to the complex. Hemet police officers and AMR medics were also dispatched to the location.

Several Hemet police officers were the first to arrive at the apartment at 9:40 p.m., just two minutes after the call was dispatched.

The first officer into the apartment found smoke coming from the location; however, the officer reported the occupants from inside the apartment had managed to extinguish the fire themselves using water and towels.

Two engine companies continued to the location, to ensure the safety of the occupants from the apartment and to check the location for damage.

Gary Rainwater, a community reporter for Hemet News who arrived at the location within minutes of the dispatched call, reported seeing a person carrying a burnt carpet from the apartment.

There was no other known damage other than from light smoke that was still coming from the apartment 15 minutes after the reported incident.

There were no reported injuries related to the fire.

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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.