Fire destroys structures in Winterhaven
Nearby house severely damaged after evacuation
WINTERHAVEN — An early morning fire on Thursday destroyed an abandoned home in Winterhaven and severely damaged a nearby house, which was occupied at the time, according to the Imperial County Fire Department.
Acting Capt. Jorge Estrada, of ICFD Station #8, said the fire, which broke out at approximately 5:20 a.m. in the 500 block of 1st Street, also destroyed five other smaller vacant structures on the same property.
Estrada said that when firefighters arrived on scene, which was actually a block away from the fire station, they found one house fully-engulfed in flames and several other nearby structures endangered.
“There were also three electrical poles on fire at the time and (they were) arching,” Estrada said. “The occupant of the home next to the one burning was able to evacuate safely after being alerted to the fire.”
Firefighters had the fire contained within 20 minutes and completely extinguished about 10 minutes later, but not before it had spread to the other structures on the property.
“We had to chase the fire from house to house,” Estrada said. “It could have been much worse.”
Because the fire was next to a power substation, electricity to the entire town was initially turned off. However, utility workers were able to isolate the property and power was restored within a half hour.
“The power substation was one of our primary concerns,” Estrada said.
Mutual aide was requested, with the Yuma Fire Department, Rural Metro Fire Department and the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Fire Department all responding to assist.
Firefighters remained on scene throughout the day monitoring the site. The damaged house could not be reoccupied until repairs are made.
Estrada said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is believed to have started in the abandoned house, which did not have any utilities connected.