Family devastation: Brush fire in Woodcrest community destroys home
Riverside County Fire Department crews combatted a fire in Woodcrest on Saturday that began after 1.5 acres of palm trees caught fire.
It's unclear at this moment how the fire started but it eventually spread to nearby structures on the 15000 block of Cartwright Drive.
Intense flames sent neighbors running to help save a family's horses as fire ripped through a home in the Woodcrest community of Riverside County.
Unfortunately, one home was destroyed by the fire and CBSLA Reporter Kandiss Crone spoke to the family that was affected.
"I've lived here my whole life this is my childhood home and now it's gone," Katy Valenson said.
Valenson said she was taking a nap when her mom noticed the fire and yelled for her to get out. They escaped with their animals and just the clothes on their backs but their home is a total loss.
"It just erupted. I was up in the street and I just heard an explosion. The palm trees went up like fires you see in the movies just 20 foot flames just in the air," Valenson said about the fire.
Other residents nearby did what they could to help their neighbors, and their animals to safety as the fire continued to grow.
"We started evacuating the area and after that when we were done everybody started getting their own hoses and trying to put out the fire," Elvis Rivas said.
Ultimately, it took officers around two hours to stop forward progress of the fire.
Officials from Cal Fire said that the hot weather, low humidity and dry brush played a role in the small brush fire quickly spreading.
"When we have hot dry conditions like that, that's what we call the receptive fuel beds," Cal Fire Riverside County Div. Chief Bryan White said. "So when there's an ember cast a small spark is enough to start a vegetation fire and then when you have your winds align it just gets up and runs on you."
