Child found dead inside Yreka home destroyed by blaze

October 27, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

UPDATED: Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2:39 p.m., With victim’s name, GoFundMe link, and other additional details.

Originally published: Wednesday, Oct. 27, 9:28 a.m.

YREKA, Calif., — Fire officials are continuing to investigate the cause of a residential structure fire that tore through a Yreka home, killing a child early Monday morning, Oct. 25.

The fatal fire, which destroyed the residence leaving it uninhabitable, happened on Turre Street, between Meadowlark Lane and S. Oregon Street, according to fire officials.

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Firefighters and other emergency personnel were alerted to the early morning blaze around 1 a.m., California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Department spokeswoman Suzy Brady has since reported.

When officials arrived at the scene they reported finding a home completely engulfed in flames, Brady said.

Although firefighters knocked the fire down about an hour after the blaze was reported, the home was destroyed and considered a total loss.

Family and friends have identified a boy by the first name of Jehovani, after the juvenile died in a blaze that destroyed his family’s home as well as all their belongings. Danielle Myers photo

According to Yreka police Chief Mark Gilman, after the blaze was extinguished firefighters located the body of a child inside the charred remains of the home.

Although the juvenile victim’s name and age have not yet been publicly released, in a GoFundMe fundraiser, Danielle Myers – a friend of the young victim’s family – identified the boy as Jehovani Josiah Duran, explaining, “A terrible tragedy has taken their precious baby boy Jehovani, their home, and every single thing that they own.”

Myers went on to explain that all donated funds will be used for Jehovani’s burial expenses, as well as to help his family begin the process of rebuilding their lives.

“I hope to lighten their heavy hearts in any way possible so they may grieve their loss and have more time with their son and daughter during catastrophe,” she explained; adding, “Anything that you can help with would be truly a blessing for this amazing family.”

As of an afternoon update, officials had not yet publicly commented about where the victim’s family members were when the fatal fire erupted or what may have led to the deadly blaze and their investigation is ongoing.

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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.