30-40 RVs destroyed, firefighter injured in massive Canyon Lake 3-alarm blaze

CANYON LAKE, Calif. — Officials are continuing to work at the scene of a massive blaze at a Canyon Lake RV storage facility that erupted inside the gated Canyon Lake community this afternoon, Wednesday, May 19. 

As of the latest report from the scene the fire, which erupted at Canyon Lake Storage, at 22229 Loch Lomond Dr., the blaze had destroyed around 30 to 40 RVs and other vehicles and sent huge plumes of thick black smoke hundreds of feet into the sky. The fire caused reports of smoke to be called in from Hemet, Moreno Valley, Perris, Temecula, and other surrounding areas.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

Fight between women leaves five shot, one dead in Hemet

Wanted Riverside felon arrested after hotel search leads to firearm, drugs

Corona motorcyclist, 55, ID’d after fatal Riverside DUI-related collision

Jurupa Valley crash into UPS truck leaves Bloomington woman dead

Murrieta motorcyclist, 23, ID’d after deadly crash

Cal Fire-Riverside was first alerted to the blaze around 2:33 p.m., Cal Fire officials have since reported. Area residents reported huge flames coming from the facility and hearing numerous explosions, likely caused by the RVs propane tanks as they became overheated by the fire.

Responding firefighters reported finding walls of flames and smoke pouring from the facility and the call was quickly upgraded to a three-alarm response.

Officials say 30 to 40 recreational vehicles were destroyed by a 3-alarm blaze that left one firefighter injured this afternoon. Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department photo

Based on the severity of the fire, as well as imminent threat to surrounding vegetation and numerous area homes, around 75 firefighters from seventeen engine companies and two truck companies were summoned to the blaze. In addition to Cal Fire crews, Corona Fire Department, Murrieta Fire & Rescue, and Riverside Fire Department also responded to the scene. They were aided by a Breathing Support Unit.

SCE was also called to the scene due to several downed power lines, which officials confirmed had knocked out power to around 100 area residences.

At around 3:35 p.m., officials reported that approximately 30 to 40 recreational vehicles had been destroyed and that one firefighter was injured battling the blaze.

Today’s fire sent a wall of flames and thick smoke billowing into the sky that could be seen for miles in every direction. Canyon Lake Uncensored photo

The firefighter was evaluated and treated at the scene by paramedics, according to officials who did not specify the nature of the injury but did report that the injury was not considered life threatening. It was not immediately known if the injured firefighter required hospitalization or further treatment.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but an arson investigator has responded to the scene.

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.

tagged with , , ,