1 dead in 823-acre Sandalwood fire in Calimesa
The Sandalwood fire that destroyed 74 structures has taken one life, officials said Friday morning, Oct. 11, and the fast-moving wildfire that roared through Calimesa on the strength of Santa Ana winds grew overnight to 823 acres.
Firefighters said the blaze was 10 percent contained.
One person has died in the wind-whipped fire that ripped through a mobile home park where scores of trailers were destroyed, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Capt. Fernando Herrera said. No information about the victim could immediately be confirmed.
Authorities said the blaze destroyed 73 mobile homes and a park clubhouse.
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There were no reports of missing people, Herrera said.
The forward spread of the fire was stopped Thursday, Herrera said. But the fire, which is holding at 823 acres, was only 10 percent contained.
Evacuations remain in place for affected areas, Cal Fire said via Twitter Friday morning.
As Herrera spoke about 7 a.m. Friday, winds whipped around Noble Creek Park, the site of the firefight’s command post, raising concern that the fire could again rage out of control.
“There’s still a lot of open line and a lot of hot spots,” he said.
A wind advisory is in effect through 6 p.m. Friday for the region. Winds from 20-35 mph were expected, along with gusts of 60-70 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Cal Fire said the fire started Thursday when a crew operating a trash truck — Herrera said it belongs to CR&R — dumped a burning load on a roadside and the flames spread to brush.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who was at the command post, said his investigators would work with Cal Fire’s to determine whether a crime was committed.
“We know who the players are, but we haven’t gotten that far yet,” Bianco said.
The trash truck dumped its load near Sandalwood Drive and Seventh Street, close to the 10 Freeway off-ramp at about 2 p.m., according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department. It was not clear why the trash was on fire, nor why the truck had dumped the load there.
Santa Ana winds picked up the flames, quickly spreading them to nearby vegetation and into the Villa Calimesa Mobile Home Park.