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A home and several outbuildings and vehicles were destroyed in a small fire that started in palm trees in a Riverside County neighborhood Saturday afternoon, Aug. 6.
The 2.8-acre fire broke out near the 15000 block of Cartwright Drive, a cul-de-sac in Woodcrest, about noon.
Video from OnSceneTV showed towering flames behind the cul-de-sac. Firefighters doused heavy flames as they chewed through several trailers and sent dark gray smoke billowing to the sky. Residents also grabbed hoses.
Firefighters with Cal Fire battled a vegetation fire that spread to nearby structures and vehicles in Woodcrest Saturday afternoon, Aug. 6. The fire was first reported in palm trees behind some of the homes. (OnSceneTV)
Firefighters with Cal Fire battled a vegetation fire that spread to nearby structures and vehicles in Woodcrest Saturday afternoon, Aug. 6. The fire was first reported in palm trees behind some of the homes. (OnSceneTV)
Firefighters with Cal Fire battled a vegetation fire that spread to nearby structures and vehicles in Woodcrest Saturday afternoon, Aug. 6. The fire was first reported in palm trees behind some of the homes. (OnSceneTV)
At one point, a house was seen with smoke coming through the roof.
Katy Valenson told CBS Los Angeles her home was destroyed.
“I’ve lived here my whole life,” she said. “This is my childhood home and now it’s gone.
“It just erupted,” she said of the fire. “I was up on the street and I heard just an explosion and the palm trees just went up.”
Pablo Fernandez, a neighbor, told a freelance videographer with OnScene.TV that he was sitting down in the kitchen when he noticed trash coming down outside. He and another man grabbed a hose and were seen battling the flames near their backyard.
“We come outside and all the palm trees out back are on fire,” he said. “We just come out and we’re trying to take it down and warn the neighbors.”
Another resident, Gilbert Robles, told the videographer he lost two trailers and eight all-terrain vehicles in the blaze.
Investigators were still probing the cause of the blaze on Sunday, Cal Fire spokesman Kuwi Fernandez said. The fire’s forward progress had been stopped about two and a half hours after it broke out on Saturday and an evacuation warning for nearby residents was lifted about 7:30 p.m.
A Cal Fire unit remained on scene overnight Saturday and another was assigned to the area for Sunday.
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