RUBIDOUX (CBSLA) — Memo Contreras was on the brink of calm down over the past hours of his weekend on Sunday, however because the smokey air crept into his dwelling he turned to see flames racing onto his household’s property.
“It was exploding and the bottom would shake,” he stated. “After a couple of seconds, it was blowing up and burning the whole lot.”
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Contreras and his household lived proper subsequent to MTZ Pallet options the place dumpsters, automobiles and tons of of pallets had caught hearth.
A fireplace burns in a pallet yard locally of Rubidoux in Riverside County. Feb. 27, 2022. (CBSLA)
In line with CAL Fireplace/Riverside County Fireplace Division, the hearth was reported round 8 p.m. on the pallet yard within the 2400 block of Rubidoux Boulevard. The windy situations allowed the hearth to shortly unfold to phone poles, burning {the electrical} traces and finally spreading to the scale of 100 yards by 100 yards.
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Whereas his cousin evacuated with the youngsters and canine, Contreras determined to remain and combat the hearth; armed with solely a small backyard hose. Nonetheless, he wasn’t alone as a couple of of his neighbors started to spray their roofs to cease the hearth from spreading.
“They had been simply exploding and embers would fall on the rooftops and it lit the palm bushes on hearth,” stated Contreras.
Fireplace crews from Murrieta, Ontario, Hemet, Corona, Riverside and Orange County responded to the hearth and stopped the ahead unfold of the hearth round 11 p.m, however by that point, the pallet yard, a number of constructions and automobiles had been destroyed.
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CAL Fireplace Riverside stated the trigger stays beneath investigation.