San Bernardino—County Firefighters this morning worked to control a fire in a large boarded-up house on Berkeley Ave. near G Street. One adult victim was declared deceased as a result of the fire.
With a heavy column of smoke already visible from across the city, crews arrived to find fire already showing through the roof of the home amid reports that one occupant was still inside.
Fire crews located the person just inside a window at the front of the house, using rotary saws to fight through heavy-duty metal security screening as other personnel worked to knock down the fire with hose lines.
Firefighters quickly conducted a rescue operation out the window. Unfortunately, the subject had succumbed to injuries and was declared deceased on scene. Crews continued to work the fire, which was declared knocked down at approximately 10:10 a.m. Significant overhaul operations were undertaken, and a thorough search of the home revealed no other victims.
A total of 27 personnel responded, including six engines, one truck company, a paramedic squad, two battalion chiefs, one safety officer and three investigators. Abandoned and boarded-up structures present numerous hazards. A lack of safe entry and exit points, smoke alarms, or in-service utilities make conditions dangerous for occupants.
The cause of the fire is now under investigation by the San Bernardino County Office of the Fire Marshal and San Bernardino Police Department
Time/Location: Wed., June 18 at 9:47 a.m. on the 1200 Block of N. Berkeley Ave. Incident: Residential Structure Fire Media Contact: Ryan Beckers, PIO rbeckers@sbcfire.org (840) 266-1911