Valle Vista home heavily damaged by fire

VALLE VISTA — Although firefighters managed to quickly knock down a Valle Vista residential structure fire the home sustained heavy fire and smoke damage early yesterday evening, Thursday, April 11. The blaze, which displaced the family living at the home, erupted on the 44000 block of Orpington Ave., , northwest of Florida and Palm avenues.

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More than two dozen firefighters from seven engine companies, a brush rig, and a paramedic squad, from Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department, City of Hemet Fire Department, and Soboba Fire Department were dispatched to the fire just after 5 p.m., after receiving multiple reports of the blaze.

When officials arrived they found a working and fully involved structure fire with heavy smoke showing at a single-story mobile home.

Firefighters work at the scene of yesterday’s structure fire in Valle Vista. Robert Carter & Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photo

Firefighters quickly made access to the home’s roof and began cutting ventilation holes, while firefighters on the ground took up a defensive attack and began fighting the blaze.

During the fire suppression efforts, Riverside County sheriff’s deputies provided crowd and traffic control, keeping bystanders, area residents, and curious onlookers a safe distance from the firefighting efforts.

Firefighters updated they had successfully suppressed the fire shortly before 5:45 p.m., but fire resources remained at the scene for several hours conducting overhaul and mop up operations.

There were no reported injuries related to the fire and officials are continuing their investigation into the cause of the blaze.

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Robert Carter & Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photos

Robert Carter & Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents video

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta 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. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s 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 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.