Banning business destroyed by blaze
BANNING, Calif. — Firefighters spent about two and a half hours battling a commercial structure fire that tore through and ultimately destroyed a Banning business late Wednesday evening, July 22.
The blaze happened at Lithopass Printing Forms, on the 90 block of S. San Gorgonio Ave., between E. Ramsey and E. Livingston streets, according to fire officials.
LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:
Hours-long Perris stand off leads to arrest
One dead, one arrested after San Jacinto shooting
DUI suspected in Perris crash that killed two, ages 8 & 75
Homicide confirmed – Victim remains unidentified, after body found in burning car
More than 40 firefighters from ten Cal Fire-Riverside County and Morongo Fire Department engine and truck companies were dispatched to the scene around 11:14 p.m., according to a series of Cal Fire social media posts regarding the blaze.
When the initial fire crews began arriving at the scene they reported finding a building fully engulfed in fire, with heavy smoke and flames billowing from a single-story structure.
A firefighter works at the scene of Wednesday night’s commercial structure fire that destroyed a Banning business. Loudlabs News photo
Based on the circumstances and threat to nearby buildings, officials at the scene requested a second alarm, as well as additional personnel and resources to battle the large fire.
Firefighters contained the blaze shortly before 2 a.m. and remained on scene for several hours conducting mop up and overhaul operations.
Banning Electric was later summoned to the scene to shut off utilities to the business.
The building, which featured a large and popular mural on its side, was destroyed, according to officials.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Click any image to open full-size gallery.
Cal Fire-Riverside County Fire photos
This article sponsored by:
For more information, contact Bill Tyler at Century 21 Full Realty Service.
Voted Best Independent Sandwich Shop in the Inland Empire by The Press-Enterprise readers choice. Centrally located on N Harvard St in the heart of Downtown Hemet, enjoy over 30 different sandwiches and premium salads. Our coffee is made from locally roasted, Organic Coffee Beans from Idyllwild Coffee Roasters. Come taste the difference that is Downtown Deli & Coffee Company. For more information, visit Downtown Deli & Coffee Co. on Facebook.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; 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 29 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 16 grandchildren.