Early Morning Fire Displaces One, No Injuries Reported

Twenty firefighters responded to an early morning house fire on the 25100 block of Kalmia Avenue, according to Riverside County Fire Department incident reports. Five engine companies, one truck and one overhead person from CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department reported on Oct. 7 to a single-family residence called in at 6:46 a.m. that morning, reports detail. The incident report states that the first arriving engine reported smoke showing from the living room of the home. William Thost, a neighbor and retired firefighter, saw the flames that morning as he came outside to photograph the sunrise. Thost explained that one woman who was home at the time of the fire escaped the burning building and attempted to extinguish the fire with a garden hose prior to the arrival of fire department personnel. In an update at 7:50 a.m. the morning of Oct. 7, the “incident commander requested the American Red Cross to assist with one adult female displaced by the fire,” the incident report states. No injuries were reported as a result of the blaze. Firefighters remained on-scene for two hours after they were able to contain the fire for cleanup and overhaul, according to incident reports. It is undetermined at this time how much in total losses was suffered. Reports show that the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.