San Bernardino brush fire burns multiple homes as residents ordered to evacuate
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- At least 200 firefighters battled a hillside blaze in San Bernardino that burned at least half a dozen homes and triggered evacuation orders.
The Edgehill Fire was reported around 2:30 p.m. in the area of the 3300 block of Beverly Drive in the Little Mountain community.
It was initially estimated at 5 acres but was spreading rapidly in dry brush and triple-digit temperatures and within hours grew to 54 acres. A few hours later, forward progress of the blaze was stopped.
Crews worked through the night to prevent any flare-ups. By Tuesday morning, the fire had burned 100 acres with containment estimated at 75%.
Despite that progress, the damage was already done. Footage from AIR7 showed at least half a dozen homes consumed by flames. At one point, another dozen or more appeared to be within close vicinity of the blaze.
Officials could not provide an exactly number of structures that were damaged or destroyed. Teams were expected to begin surveying the damage at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
One family said they lost not only their home but their three dogs in the fire.
Erika Hernandez said she wasn't allowed to go back to get the family dogs as flames and smoke consumed their home.
"Everything we worked hard for... it's right there," said Hernandez. "I can't believe it's gone, but... I don't care about the things. Truly, I'm just heartbroken about our dogs. They were our family members."
A GoFundMe page was started to help the Hernandez family - parents Erika and Justin and their two sons, ages 17 and 9.
At one point, San Bernardino police said a person had been detained in connection with the investigation into the fire. But the person was later released without charges. It wasn't clear why they were detained.
Meanwhile, one firefighter was injured and taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
As for evacuation orders, they all remained in place Tuesday morning. The evacuation area, encompassing dozens of homes, was described as:
All residents living on the south side of and south of Ridge Line Drive.
All residents living on the north side and north of Edgehill Rd west to and including Beverly Drive; east to Circle Road.
An evacuation center was established at Marshall Elementary, 3288 N. G Street.
San Bernardino County fire spokesman Eric Sherwin said about 200 firefighters, 40 engines and three hand crews were involved in battling the blaze, with help from Riverside city and CalFire.
