11 adults and 7 dogs displaced after fire destroys two Banning homes
BANNING, Calif., — Eleven adults and seven dogs are lucky to be alive today after a swift-moving fire destroyed a pair of adjacent single-story multi-family residences in Banning yesterday afternoon, Thursday, April 7.
The destructive second-alarm blaze, which fire officials say was fueled by high winds, happened at a complex in the 100 block of N. 4th Street, near W. Hays Street, according to Cal Fire.
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Cal Fire – Riverside, City of Banning police officers, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene around 5:45 p.m. after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting that an active fire was burning at the multi-family dwelling, Cal Fire has since reported.
When officials arrived, they reported finding a well-involved fire burning at two structures, with heavy smoke and flames seen billowing from the residences, with threat to other nearby structures and vehicles.
A woman who was displaced by yesterday’s blaze is comforted after several of her dogs were rescued from her burning residence. Beaumont News Source photo
Due to multiple exposures and winds estimated to be 20 to 30 mph, a total of fourteen engines, one ladder truck, and a Breathing Support Unit responded to the fire, along with three Battalion Chiefs and two Division Chiefs, Cal Fire – Riverside Battalion Chief Jeff Roberts reported from the scene.
Although firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze, the fire destroyed two homes – displacing eleven adults and seven dogs – many of which were seen being carried from the destroyed homes by firefighters before they were returned to their grateful owners.
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No citizens or firefighters were injured as a result of the fire and due to the number of displaced victims, the American Red Cross was called to assist those affected by the blaze.
Cal Fire is continuing to investigate the cause of yesterday’s blaze and no further details have been released.
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Beaumont News Source photos
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Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS). Both are stringer organizations, providing breaking news coverage and community interest stories for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.
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.