By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY
Senior Writer
Recent residential fires have laid waste to two Crestline homes in the past couple of months. The most recent fire, which broke out in the early morning hours of Thursday, Oct. 10, destroyed a three-bedroom, three-bath residence in the 24500 block of Bernard Drive in Crestline.
The blaze, first reported at 2:13 a.m., grew very quickly, spreading to nearby vegetation and was well involved by the time the first firefighters arrived at 2:20 a.m. County Fire Public Information Officer (PIO) Eric Sherwin told the Alpine Mountaineer that firefighters from stations in Crestline, Twin Peaks and Lake Arrowhead were joined by others from Cal Fire. In all, 16 firefighting personnel had the blaze stopped at 2:32 a.m. and finally knocked down at 2:46 a.m. According to Sherwin, firefighting personnel responding to the early morning blaze included 13 firefighters, one battalion chief and two paramedics.
“Fortunately,” Sherwin said, “the family members safely exited the residence and no injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported.” When asked what may have caused the fire, Sherwin said, “We don’t know; it’s under investigation.” Damages to the 1,896-square-foot home are estimated at $435,000.
The owner’s daughter posted on Facebook that her mother and sister “were able to escape through a window out onto the deck. A neighbor came with a ladder and they were able to get out just in time. To this hero that saved my mom and sister, a thank you will never be enough. I don’t have the words.
“This is a complete and devasting loss of the place we grew up and had 35 years worth of memories,” she wrote. “Words cannot express the gratitude we feel from our family, friends, neighbors and our mountain community.”
Another recent structure fire in the Crestline area includes one that destroyed a three-story home on Finhaut Drive on Aug. 26. The fire, first reported at 4:39 a.m. as a small vegetation blaze, quickly spread to the home, which was fully involved in flames when firefighters arrived. The residents verified that they were not at home when the fire, which is still under investigation, started.
Noting that fireplaces and space heaters are responsible for many residential structure fires, Sherwin said homeowners can often prevent such occurrences by having chimneys inspected and cleaned, if necessary, and not leaving space heaters unattended, as they can easily be knocked over by pets. Also, never leave your home when the fireplace is lit or when food is cooking in the oven, and make sure your dryer vent is not clogged with lint.
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