Early Morning Fire Destroys Thousands of Dollars of Equipment

An early morning fire in the 1400 block of Fernwood Drive destroyed a workshop and equipment worth several thousand dollars Thursday, Sept. 17. The fire was initially reported in the 1400 block of Highland Avenue at about 5:40 a.m. on Thursday. Redlands Police were first on the scene and discovered the location was actually an outbuilding in the 1400 block of Fernwood Drive, which was fully engulfed. Officers directed responding firefighters to the blaze, set up traffic control and evacuated residents from some nearby homes which were briefly threatened. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to knock down the blaze. No injuries were reported and damage was limited to the single building and a fence adjoining the property where firefighters made entry. Damage to the building and contents was estimated at $30,000. The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental from malfunctioning equipment in the workshop.