Three-alarm Blaze in Redlands

REDLANDS >> Redlands firefighters responded to a three-alarm blaze at a church at the intersection of Redlands Boulevard and Cypress Avenue Tuesday afternoon. The fire was reported at about 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, at Pathway Church, 611 E. Cypress Avenue. Firefighters arrived within two minutes to find the church’s preschool and one classroom building involved. No one was in either of the buildings, which are primarily used as classrooms during church services on Sundays and midweek evening programs. Firefighters had the blaze knocked down in about 45 minutes. One San Bernardino City firefighter fell through a weakened section of the roof but was uninjured and returned to work. Another San Bernardino City firefighter suffered a back injury. A Redlands firefighter was treated for fatigue and heat exhaustion. In addition to Redlands and San Bernardino, units from Yucaipa, Colton, Loma Linda and CalFire responded to the blaze. The cause was determined to be accidental as a result of roofing work being performed on one of the buildings.