Mesa family loses home to flames



This Yucca Mesa home was destroyed by a fire that rushed quickly through the entire structure.
By Stacy Moore
Hi-Desert Star
Published: Saturday, March 14, 2009 2:00 AM CDT
YUCCA MESA — A fast-moving fire destroyed a Yucca Mesa family’s home on Canterbury Street here Wednesday evening. County fire Battalion Chief Kat Opliger said the fire started just before 7 p.m., when a neighbor reported seeing light smoke coming from a nearby house. Seconds later, Yucca Mesa firefighters glancing out the door of their station on Aberdeen as they boarded their engines saw a thick plume of black smoke spreading into the sky.

All firefighting units from Yucca Valley along with Joshua Tree personnel responded to the mesa, Opliger said, while the Twentynine Palms Fire Department helped by covering the Yucca Valley area.

“The home was 100 percent involved in fire upon our arrival,” said Opliger. “Every room had fire in it, which is unusual.”

Because it was too dangerous to enter the home and they ascertained no one was inside, crews fought from the outside.


“We attacked in from three angles to get a quick knockdown,” the chief reported.

A Yucca Valley firefighter was bruised when a piece of fencing fell on his arm, she said. He was taken to Hi-Desert Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

The flames were whipped by 12 to 15 mph winds from the west-southwest, so as a precaution, a neighboring house to the east of the property was evacuated.

The wind may have contributed to the speed of the flames, pushing them through the house, Opliger speculated.

“Typically, when a house catches fire, the fire will consume a room, breach the attic and then become more of a problem, moving to other parts of the house. The progression is not as quick,” she explained. “This house went from a report of smoke to 100 percent involvement in a short amount of time.”

It took about an hour to knock down the flames and another three to carefully go through the ruins to ensure no spark was still smoldering.

According to the chief, a couple and their three children lived in the home.

While the fire’s cause is still under investigation, she said the family reported they left the clothes dryer on when they left to drop off their children at a scouts meeting.

Calling the residents, “A wonderful family,” Opliger said they are being helped by relatives.

The owners said they had a cat, but it’s possible the pet escaped. “We did not find a cat inside, and cats typically are very resourceful and take off when there is a fire,” the chief noted.