Toddler killed & mom critically injured in Moreno Valley fire that hospitalized six others, Including four deputies

MORENO VALLEY, Calif., — Authorities say a toddler was killed in a Moreno Valley house fire that left the victim’s young mother critically injured and two other citizens hospitalized early Saturday morning, Aug. 8. Area neighbors have since said that the home where the blaze erupted is owned by an elderly woman who shared the residence with her teenage grandson and his girlfriend, along with the couple’s young child. None of their names or ages have been released.

Four Riverside County sheriff’s deputies who were first to arrive at the scene of the blaze were also injured and hospitalized after rushing into the burning home with no fire-protection gear or breathing equipment and rescuing the elderly homeowner and her grandson from the fire, according to officials. However, after attempting to reenter the home to try to rescue the mother and her baby, the deputies were met with walls of flames and thick choking black smoke that ultimately forced the helpless and un-protected lawmen back out of the residence.

The deadly fire left the home, located in the 24300 block of Dolan Drive, southeast of Cottonwood Avenue and Heacock Street, uninhabitable.

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Deputies assigned to the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station, CAL FIRE-Riverside, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene just before 1:30 a.m., fire officials have since reported.

Deputies who were first to arrive at the scene found a fully-involved residential structure fire with flames soaring high into the nighttime sky.

A deputy, one of four injured while rescuing an elderly woman and young father and trying to rescue two others – including a mother who was critically injured and a toddler who later died, is transported to an area trauma center after Saturday morning’s fatal blaze that ripped through a Moreno Valley home.  Inland News photo

With firefighters still responding to the area, at least four deputies initiated an immediate hasty rescue plan, entering the home and ultimately saving two of the injured victims, later described at the scene as the elderly home owner and her grandson, the father of the child who was later found dead inside the home.

In the wake of Saturday’s early-morning tragedy, Dr. Yxstian Gutierrez, Mayor of Moreno Valley explained, “Deputies preceded fire resources and found the residence engulfed in flames and filled with smoke.”

“Without regard for their personal safety, Deputies entered the home and rescued two victims,” Gutierrez described. “Unfortunately, the smoke and heat prevented Deputies from reentering the residence for a child who perished.

The four deputies and other three surviving victims of the fire, including the toddler’s critically injured mother, were all transported to Riverside University Health System’s trauma center for treatment of their minor to major injuries.

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“The City of Moreno Valley is grateful to these heroic Deputies as well the brave Moreno Valley Firefighters that quickly extinguished the fire — preventing it from reaching other homes,” said Gutierrez.

“I cannot even imagine what the deputies, victims, and everyone at this incident went through,” the Mayor continued. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family for the loss of their child, and for our responders to be at peace after experiencing such a traumatic event.

“On behalf of the City, I thank our first responders for their heroic acts,” added Gutierrez.

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/NEWS-RELEASE–Statement-by-Statement-by-Mayor-Gutierrez-Regarding-Residential-Fire-on-Dolan-Drive.html?soid=1105372884664&aid=o4kTrIUIpsY

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, 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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