One person was detained in connection with a brush fire in San Bernardino that destroyed several homes and killed a family's three dogs in a hillside neighborhood on Monday.
The fire was reported in the 3300 block of Beverly Drive in the Little Mountain area. It was reported sometime around 2:40 p.m. when the temperature at the time was 109 degrees.
The fire was quickly described as an "immediate structure threat" and as of 5:45 p.m., was held at 54 acres with 25% containment, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. By Tuesday morning, the 100-acre fire was 75-percent contained.
Erika Hernandez said she raced to get home to save her three dogs after learning about the fire. Sadly, she was unable to get there in time.
"Almost 11 years with our oldest dog, about 3 or 4 years with our other dog, and one of our other dogs was a rescue; we just rescued him in October and he was a pup," Hernandez said.
She and her husband lived with their two sons in the neighborhood for only about three years. Like other neighbors, they lost everything.
U.S. & World
"It’s hard to process," she said. "It feels very surreal, a living nightmare to be quite honest."
Sal Diaz told NBC Los Angeles his home was the only house spared by the fire. He was first notified of the blaze by his daughter, who lives in the area. He later learned that other neighbors lost their three dogs to the incident.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
“They’re really, really devastated because of their loss," Diaz said. "You know, all the material (things), it doesn’t really matter. The motor home, the car, you know, it doesn’t really matter. It’s all material. But when you lose a pet, a loved one, it’s more difficult.”
Details about how the fire started were not immediately available.
The San Bernardino Police Department said one person was detained in connection with the fire, but officials did not release more information regarding that. They later said that individual was released.
***EVACUATION ORDER***
— San Bernardino County Fire (@SBCOUNTYFIRE) August 5, 2024
For the #EdgehillFire, an evacuation order has been issued for:
All residents living on the south side of and south of Ridge Line Drive
All residents living on the north side and north of Edgehill Rd west to and including Beverly Drive; east to Circle… pic.twitter.com/9WjuY83zJ7
