JURUPA VALLEY: Firefighters spend hours battling stubborn pallet and wood mulch blaze
JURUPA VALLEY — Firefighters spent several hours battling a difficult pallet and wood mulch blaze at a recycling plant, Wednesday, Nov. 29. The early morning fire erupted at Rios Recycling on the 5000 block of Wilson Street near S. Brown Avenue in Jurupa Valley.
Firefighters spent several hours battling a wood pallet and mulch blaze at Rios Recycling in Jurupa Valley, Wednesday, Nov. 29. John Strangis photo
Nearly forty firefighters from eleven engine companies responded to reports of the fire just after 2 a.m., Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Public Information Officer April Newman explained in an incident report. They were assisted by City of Riverside Fire Department, a paramedic squad and two water tenders.
When they arrived, firefighters found a 100 foot by 50 foot pile of heavy timber on fire, according to fire officials.
Firefighters began an immediate and aggressive attack on the blaze. While firefighters battled the blaze, flames could be seen for several miles in every direction.
Just after 3 a.m., after firefighters had already been fighting the fire for about one hour, Newman updated that the stubborn wood and mulch fire had spread numerous additional large mounds of wood pallets and wood mulch, some of which were up to 300 feet tall.
Newman also updated that the property owner had arrived at the scene and was assisting with heavy equipment while firefighters continued their efforts to bring the blaze under control.
Firefighters continued battling the massive fire for about three and one half more hours before finally bringing it under control and Newman reported that the fire was contained about 6:30 a.m.
Despite containing the fire, at nearly 8 a.m., Newman updated that fire resources were expected to remain at the scene conducting extensive overhaul operations for about four more hours.
There were no reported injuries related to the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and fire officials have asked that anyone with information about the cause of the blaze contact Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire officials at (800) 633-2836. Callers can refer to incident file number CA-RRU-147142 and can remain anonymous.
Photos from our #WilsonFire in Jurupa Valley. Photo credit: Tod Sudmeier pic.twitter.com/SDDzu5Uxxk
— CAL FIRE Riverside (@CALFIRERRU) November 29, 2017
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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as 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, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries 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 27 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 14 grandchildren.