As temperatures climbed well into the triple digits on Friday afternoon, Redlands Firefighters battled a brush fire where the northeast portion of the City meets unincorporated county, a separate vegetation fire and a residential blaze that left a family displaced.
Redlands Firefighters in unified command with Cal Fire battled the brush fire near Highway 38 and Garnet Street Friday, July 7. By 5 p.m. firefighters, working in steep rough terrain, had halted the blaze’s forward motion. By 9 p.m. the fire had burned approximately 74 acres and was 70 percent contained. No structures were threatened and there were no reports of injuries. Highway 38 is expected to be closed until about 10 p.m. Fire crews will remain on scene throughout the night. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
At about 6:45 p.m. Redlands Firefighters responded to a structure fire in the 1300 block of Rolling Hills Road. Crews arrived to find the single-story, single-family home well involved in fire. Additional crews from Colton and San Bernardino County assisted, along with Redlands Police and an ambulance crew from American Medical Response.
No one was home at the time of the fire, but several pets were inside the home. After evacuating the animals, firefighters and ambulance crews used special pet oxygen masks carried on the Redlands units in an effort to resuscitate the animals. One dog and a cat were revived. Crews were unable to revive a second dog and two other cats.
The fire was knocked down within 10 minutes. One firefighter suffered an injury when he was struck in the eye by a stream of water from a fire hose. No other injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Red Cross responded to assist the family who were displaced by the blaze.
Representatives of the Emma Zen Foundation and Furry Face, A Very Cool Dog & Cat Store donated 12 Pet Oxygen Mask Kits valued at $100 apiece to the Redlands Fire Department in 2014. The masks have been used numerous times since the donation.
Earlier in the day, Redlands crews also responded to a vegetation fire alongside the 210 Freeway near New York Street. That fire burned approximately a quarter acre. While extinguishing the blaze, firefighters observed and responded to another fire in a culvert at Tennessee Street near San Bernardino Avenue. Tennessee Street was closed between Interstate 10 and Lugonia Avenue for approximately one hour.