UPDATE: Weeks after dad’s death, HS senior loses grandmother to house fire
UPDATED: Thursday, May 9, 11:20 a.m., With additional details, GoFundMe link.
REDDING — A Foothill High School senior, still reeling from the death of his father last March, was hit by tragedy once again when his grandmother and several family pets were killed by an early-morning fire that ripped through a Redding home last Monday, May 6.
Although Juan Salcido and his mother managed to get out of the burning residence, Salcido’s grandmother and three dogs were not able to get out of the home before flames consumed the home. Coroner officials have since identified 82-year-old, Alice Girdwood Planellas, of Redding, as the victim who died during the blaze.
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Authorities were first alerted to the fire around 2:45 a.m., Monday morning, after receiving reports of a residential structure fire at a home in the 2800 block of Alfreda Way.
Neighbors have since reported that Planellas lived in the home with her daughter and grandson, Juan. Although the mother and son managed to escape the burning home without injury, Planellas and three dogs were unable to get out and died in the blaze.
Alice Girdwood Planellas, 82, and three dogs were killed in a fire that destroyed a Redding home last Monday. KRCR photo
In the fire’s aftermath, friends and classmates of Salcido, who is reportedly a lineman on his school’s football team and works part time at Mary’s Pizza Shack, have created a GoFundMe fundraiser to help offset funeral costs and other expenses. The fundraiser had raised more than $2,300 toward its stated goal of $5,500 during its first two days.
“Our goal is to alleviate the financial burdens faced by Juan and his mother so they have time to heal after this immensely difficult time,” organizers of the fundraiser explained.
Classmates will also be hosting a BBQ and silent auction fundraiser at Foothill High School, Tuesday, May 14 at 6 p.m.
The cause of last Monday’s fatal fire is still under investigation.
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.