PERRIS: One injured in residential blaze that displaced family of 3
PERRIS – One person was injured and a home was badly damaged in an April 4 residential structure fire. Nearly two dozen firefighters battled the blaze, which left the home uninhabitable and displaced a family of three.
American Medical Response medics treated one victim at the scene for minor smoke inhalation. The victim declined further treatment.
Firefighters begin overhaul and mop up operations after extinguishing the fire. Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire photo
Emergency first responders were sent to the home in the 1400 block of Alta Palma Road, near Palma Bonita Lane in Perris about 9:23 a.m., after someone called 911 to report the fire.
Twenty-two firefighters from five engine companies and one truck company responded to the fire, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire spokeswoman April Newman. They were assisted by a breathing support unit.
“The first arriving truck company reported a two-story residence with a well-involved garage fire,” Newman explained shortly after firefighters arrived at the scene.
Firefighters immediately mounted an aggressive attack on the blaze and they quickly brought the fire under control.
Due to their fast response and effort, firefighters were able to contain the fire to the garage and two rooms directly above the garage.
Although firefighters saved about $150,000 in property and personal belongings, Newman estimated the loss at about $200,000.
Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company and Eastern Municipal Water District were summoned to the location to shut off all utilities to the residence.
The American Red Cross later responded to the scene to assist with two adults and one child who were left homeless by the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.
Trevor 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 and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with 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 and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
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.