ThreeAlarm Blaze Historic Home

Recently, a fire destroyed a century-old home in a historic Redlands neighborhood. The three-alarm fire in the 1600 block of West Olive Avenue was reported by a passer-by who saw the flames and smoke shortly after 11:30 a.m. Responding units arrived within minutes to find the three-story Victorian home, built in 1903, engulfed in flames. A downed power line initially hampered firefighters’ efforts to battle the blaze. They immediately set to work protecting the surrounding homes. One single-family home next door suffered smoke and heat damage. Due to the extensive damage to the building and in order to protect lives, firefighters pursued defensive tactics and were unable to save the primary structure, which collapsed shortly after 1:30 p.m. More than 50 firefighters from seven agencies responded to the blaze. In addition, Redlands Police assisted with traffic control. Utility crews from Southern California Gas and Southern California Electric also responded. No injuries were reported, although one of the owners’ two dogs remains unaccounted for. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Fire crews were expected to stay on scene throughout the evening to ensure that remaining hot spots were fully extinguished.