Death toll rises to 2 from Sandalwood fire at Calimesa mobile home park
A second person has been found dead in a Calimesa mobile home part that was overrun by fire this week, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced Saturday, Oct. 12.
The remains were found Friday evening during the search of a unit in the Villa Calimesa Mobile Home Park. The coroner has not identified the deceased person, sheriff’s officials said in a tweet.
They did release the identity of the first person found dead: 89-year-old Lois Arvikson. She was found inside a burned home during the evacuation of the park on Thursday, the day the Sandalwood fire broke out.
It started when a CR&R trash crew dumped a load containing burning garbage near Sandalwood Drive and Seventh Street. Fanned by Santa Ana winds, the fire spread quickly and destroyed 76 structures, the vast majority of which were residences in the Villa Calimesa Mobile Home Park.
The nearby neighborhood appears otherwise untouched. The only people moving are firefighters and police officers.
— Beau Yarbrough
(@LBY3) October 12, 2019
The fire grew slightly to 1,011 acres by Saturday evening, but containment also jumped significantly, with 68% of the perimeter surrounded, firefighters said.
A mandatory evacuation order remains in place for the Villa Calimesa Mobile Home Park, but evacuation orders were lifted for areas north of there on Saturday afternoon, fire officials announced. Seventh Street was still closed between Villa Calimesa Road and Sandalwood Drive, so returning residents were told to use County Line Road.
(1/4) #SandalwoodFire As of 1 p.m. October 12th, evacuations have been lifted for THE AREA NORTH OF the Villa Calimesa Mobile Home Park only.
The EVACUATION ORDER REMAINS for the Villa Calimesa Mobile Home Park.
— CAL FIRE Riverside (@CALFIRERRU) October 12, 2019
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At this point, there are no more unaccounted-for people from the Sandalwood fire, sheriff’s Deputy Robyn Flores said.
There had been two missing people, but one turned up safe on Saturday morning, walking into the Red Cross shelter that had been set up to help evacuees, said shelter supervisor Ken Reiger.
“He had been sleeping in his car for the last couple of days,” Reiger said. “Some of the first good news we’ve had.”
Flores said she did not have information about whether the second missing person was found safe or is the person whose remains were found Friday night.
On Thursday night, 16 people spent the night at the shelter, which was set up at Mesa Grande Academy, but only three of the 40 available beds were occupied Friday night, said Alexandra Harbert with the Red Cross Desert to the Sea Region.
The city of Calimesa was asking people not to drop off donations of any kind at the shelter. Instead, they said, people may donate cash, checks or gift cards to the Sandalwood Incident Fund at Sanctuary Church, 1090 5th St. Suite 201 in Calimesa, between noon and 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, or donate online at www.sanctuarychurch.com/SWF.
People who want to donate clothing, toiletries, blankets, food or other items can do so at Oak Valley Church, 13553 Calimesa Blvd. in Yucaipa, city officials said.
Donation information. pic.twitter.com/MVQIiE0q0c
— City of Calimesa (@CityofCalimesa) October 12, 2019
On Saturday morning, before the evacuation orders were partially lifted, some of the fire survivors were congregating at the Jack in the Box on Sandalwood Drive, hoping to learn when they were going to be allowed to return home. Sheriff’s deputies were turning people away.
Gunita and Gregory King came to the perimeter to look out over a burned field toward their home on the far side of the canyon.
“We live on Ave. L and 7th,” Gunita said in sign language. “Our place is OK, even neighbors.”
The fire came right up to their homes.
On Saturday, firefighters were focused on cutting trees within the perimeter to starve the fire of fuel, Cal Fire’s Capt. Fernando Herrera said.
“I don’t want to say we’re out of the woods yet … But we’re moving in the right direction,” he said.
The weather was still warm but much less windy than it had been the past two days. As the Santa Ana winds died down, Southern California Edison was no longer considering cutting electricity to reduce the risk of power lines sparking a fire.
Within the Villa Calimesa Mobile Home Park, a great deal of overhaul work remains, said Cal Fire spokeswoman Cathey Mattingly. Firefighters are also checking under dirt and through the root systems of some large trees that burned, trying to make sure there aren’t any hot coals or pockets of smoldering fire that could flare back up.
“There’s still a lot of work to do,” she said.