74 structures destroyed by 500-acre Sandalwood fire in Calimesa
A wind-driven brush fire in Calimesa destroyed 73 mobile homes and a park clubhouse, damaged 16 other homes and burned at least 500 acres on Thursday, authorities said.
The so-called Sandalwood fire began after a trash truck carrying burning garbage dumped its load near Sandalwood Drive and Seventh Street, close to the 10 Freeway off-ramp at about 2 p.m., said Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department. It was not clear why the trash was on fire, nor why the truck had dumped the load in the location.
RELATED: This map shows where the Sandalwood and Reche fires are burning
Santa Ana winds picked up the flames, quickly spreading them to nearby vegetation and into the Villa Calimesa Mobile Home Park, where at least a dozen residences were burned or destroyed.
Cal Fire PIO Jeff LaRusso: Sandalwood Fire has destroyed 74 structures, given moderate damage to 11 structures and given minor damage to 5 structures, with evaluation continuing.
No reported injuries.— Ryan Hagen (@rmhagen) October 11, 2019
The fire was continuing to spread as of 4 p.m., threatening the nearby railway and power grid, a second mobile home park and more houses in the area. Winds were blowing the flames northeast at about 14 mph.
By close to 8 p.m., it was at 10% containment. Firefighters hoped to make progress overnight before winds pick up again on Friday.
Cal Fire PIO Jeff LaRusso says Sandalwood Fire is at 10% containment and should stay within confines unless winds pick up. Relative humidity is at 20%, which is an improvement but still “extremely dry.”
— Ryan Hagen (@rmhagen) October 11, 2019
The first fire units that appeared on scene found a 3-acre fire, said Capt. Fernando Herrera with Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire.
“The winds turned it into an inferno,” he said.
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Air tankers and helicopters dropped water and fire retardant near the flames while two dozen fire company engines attacked the fire from the ground.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for areas south of County Line Road and north of Sandalwood Drive, fire officials said. A hard closure was also in place for 7th Street at Sandalwood Road and 7th Street at County Line Road.
Officials opened a shelter for evacuees at Mesa Grande Academy on 975 Fremont Street. The city of Calimesa provided transportation to the school for evacuees at the Calimesa Senior Center. The center had closed for the evening.
Among those affected by evacuations were residents in the Villa mobile home park where paramedics handled numerous medical emergencies, Cal Fire/Riverside fire said.
Calimesa residents gathered along the 10 Freeway to watch the Sandalwood fire burn. A line of emergency vehicles and six lanes of traffic stood between them and the visible flames and thick plumes of smoke.
Curtis Boaz, 33, said the tree behind his mobile home caught fire. His wife and children left shortly after they saw the fire. Boaz was at work.
“That dark smoke, right there?” Boaz said while leaning against a chain-link fence along the freeway. “That’s the manager’s house. Mine is right behind it.”
He said he’s happy his family is safe but was concerned about his neighbors.
“That’s pretty concerning. There’s not a lot of comfort,” he said.
Susan Buck, who works at American Mobile Homes nearby, says she saw the Sandalwood fire as it started. Her coworker was showing one of the units to a client who had a 5-year-old child with her.
“They rushed out, barely made it. Thank God they’re okay,” she said.
Students and staff at the nearby Mesa View Middle School also had to clear the area.
Mobile homes continue to burn as firefighter battle a fire in Calimesa pic.twitter.com/j6Lldd5mAo
— Jennifer Maher (@JCMaherPhoto) October 10, 2019
While some students at the middle school were picked up by their parents at the 2:15 p.m. final bell, about 160 remained behind because their parents could not get past roadblocks, said Cali Binks, superintendent of the Yucaipa Calimesa Joint Unified School District.
As a result, three buses were sent to the school to pick up the students and take them to Calimesa Elementary. Everyone was safe, and the school did not catch fire, Binks said.
Deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department used yellow crime scene tape to secure the patch of grassy land where the fire began for further investigation, authorities said.
Staff writer Brian Rokos contributed to this report.
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