Firefighter injured, family dog killed in Redding blaze that destroyed one home, damaged another
UPDATED/CORRECTED: Friday, Oct. 1, 11:32 a.m., To reflect that only one home was occupied at the time of this fire.
REDDING, Calif., — One home was destroyed and another was left damaged by a structure fire that swept through a south Redding home late Thursday night, Sept. 30. The destructive blaze happened in the 1200 block of Riviera Drive near Scenic Way. Although initial reports indicated that both homes were occupied when the fire erupted, subsequent reports from the scene indicate that only one of the homes was occupied at the time of the blaze.
Although one firefighter reportedly suffered a minor injury and a family dog was later found deceased inside the residence that was destroyed, the family was able to escape the blaze and no deaths or other injuries were reported.
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City of Redding police and fire personnel were dispatched to the area around 11:35 p.m. after receiving reports of a structure fire involving a home in a residential neighborhood, according to Redding Fire Department.
When officials began arriving in the area they reported finding a fully-involved home and firefighters reported finding a second home already burning and well-involved, with flames threatening other nearby homes and structures.
Two homes are seen burning during last night’s structure fire that destroyed one residence and heavily damaged another. Adam McAllister/KRCR-TV photos
Officials determined that all occupants were able to exit the burning residence. However, one family dog was initially unaccounted for and later found to have perished in the fire.
Firefighters eventually managed to extinguish the blaze, but not before the first home was destroyed and the house next door was heavily damaged.
Fire crews and others remained on the scene for about four hours for mop up and overhaul operations and Riviera Drive was closed for several hours due to downed power lines that were damaged by the intense heat of the fire.
Although one firefighter sustained an unspecified minor injury, no other injuries were reported, according to fire Redding Fire Department.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
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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.