UPDATE: More details released after Burney apartment fire
UPDATED: Tuesday, April 20, 1:22 p.m.
Originally Published: Monday, April 19, 11:30 p.m.
See Original Story below.
BURNEY, Calif. — Officials today released additional information about a fire that damaged a Burney apartment last night, Monday, April 19. No injuries were reported after the fire, which happened at 37263 Superior Avenue. The small fire, which caused about $20,000 in damages, started in an attic vent fan that vented through the roof, according to authorities.
The fire was determined to have been unrelated to a series of at least a dozen arson fires that have occurred over the last week throughout the Burney area, which remain under investigation.
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Two engine companies and a water tender from Burney Fire Protection District, along with one Cal Fire-Shasta utility, a water tender from Cassel, and another engine company from Fall River Mills, were dispatched to the scene around 6:46 p.m. after receiving reports of smoke seen billowing from one of the apartments at the complex. Deputies from the Shasta County Sheriff’s Burney Station also responded to the scene to assist.
When officials arrived they reported finding a small amount of dark black smoke coming from the roof of one of the middle apartments, Burney Fire Prevention District Chief Monte Keady told SCNS this afternoon.
“The apartment was vacant at the time of the fire, so the door was forced,” explained the Chief.
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“A water supply was quickly established and entry was made into the apartment by firefighters who found a small fire in the attic,” Keady continued. “Fire was located directly around an attic vent fan that vented through the roof.”
“The fire was quickly suppressed from the inside,” the Chief added; saying firefighters spent about an hour and forty-five minutes knocking down the fire, with full containment reported around 8:08 p.m.
Once the fire was extinguished, Engine 17’s aerial was used to help firefighters gain access to the roof to check for extension of the fire and remove the burning fan and motor.
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Although Keady explained that the fire was small, he said some repairs to the roof and ceiling of the effected apartment will be needed.
“The fan motor was the obvious cause of the fire,” Keady said today; adding, “Because it vented to the outside and faced Highway 299 it was quickly discovered.”
“Although thankfully, the fire was quickly discovered, if the ignition would have occurred two or three hours later the fire would most likely have not been discovered until it grew to create a huge property loss,” Keady explained. “If the fire occurred in the middle of the night, the first arriving engine could easily have been faced with a situation where multiple rescues were needed from the multiple family two story apartment building.”
“The fact that the fire was caught when it was small was a blessing,” the Chief added.
Original Story: Officials investigating Burney apartment fire
BURNEY, Calif. — Few details have been released after a Burney apartment fire that occurred earlier tonight, Monday, April 19. No injuries were reported after the fire, which broke out in an apartment attic at 37263 Superior Avenue.
Multiple local fire agencies responded to tonight’s fire, including apparatus and personnel from Burney Fire Protection District, as well as Cal Fire-Shasta, and fire companies from Cassel and Fall River Mills.
Officials spent about an hour and forty-five minutes knocking down the fire, which reportedly began in the apartment’s attic and may have been caused by a faulty vent fan, according to resources at the scene.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
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 30 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 18 grandchildren.
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