HEMET: Family of four displaced by blaze that destroyed home
HEMET — A family of four was displaced by a fire that destroyed their home Tuesday, Aug. 15. The fire erupted at a single-family residence in the 100 block of N. Juanita Street in Hemet. Due to extensive damage to the home, fire officials at the scene called the residence and all the personal belongings inside a total loss.
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire that displaced a family of four. Will Whelan/Hemet Valley Incident photo
City of Hemet Fire and Police officials responded to the location about 2 p.m., after numerous citizens, witnesses and neighbors called 911 to report the blaze.
Thick, choking, black smoke could be seen for miles, bringing numerous people flooding into the neighborhood to see the fire, hampering the efforts of firefighters trying to get their fire apparatus’ into position to effectively battle the blaze.
More than 20 firefighters from four engine companies and one truck company responded to the fire. They were assisted by a paramedic squad and overseen by a battalion commander.
When officials arrived, they found a fully involved structure fire with other nearby homes, outbuildings and other structures threatened. Firefighters immediately began an aggressive attack on the blaze.
Because of heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic on the street where the home was burning as well as numerous nearby streets, Hemet police officers responded to the scene to assist with crowd and traffic control.
Firefighters quickly knocked down the blaze; however, the home was destroyed by the fire and left uninhabitable. Despite the loss of the single residence, firefighters’ efforts managed to contain the fire to the single residence and no other homes were damaged by the blaze.
Firefighters’ efforts kept the blaze from spreading to other nearby homes and structures. Will Whelan/Hemet Valley Incident photo
American Red Cross representatives have been called to the scene to help with the family displaced by the fire.
Officials called for the temporary closure of N. Juanita Street between Florida and Latham Avenues, to ensure the safety of fire officials battling the residential blaze.
The roadway is expected to be re-opened after fire officials have finished overhaul operations and completed their investigation into the cause of the fire, which is under investigation.
In an online, social media post, Hemet resident Shannon Byrd shared that the family of four, including a father, mother and two young children is now in desperate need of clothing, shoes, personal hygiene items and clothing.
According to Byrd, the 3-year-old daughter who was displaced by the fire wears size 3T clothing and has a shoe size of 7T and the 1-year-old son wears size 2T clothing and has a shoe size of 6T. The mother wears a size large shirt, size 12 pants and has a shoe size of 7. The father wears a size medium shirt, size 32/30 pants and has a shoe size of 8 1/2.
After the fire was extinguished, Bird explained, “Even though the American Red Cross has been contacted, if you have anything you would like to donate towards this family, whether it be in the form of gift cards, personal hygiene items, clothing, or anything else, please message me or Hemet District 1 City Council member Karlee Meyer.”
According to Meyer, donations for the displaced family can be dropped off at Hemet’s Historic Fire Station #1. The station is behind the library at 220 N. Juanita Street. Donations can also be dropped off at Downtown Deli, located at 113 N. Harvard Street. (Click link to view flier with additional information about how you can help.)
There were no reported injuries associated with the fire; however, the fate of the family’s pets – reported to be two dogs – is not yet known.
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This is a developing story that will be updated as additional information becomes available.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
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 13 – soon to be 14 – grandchildren.
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