Tag Archives: smoke damage

We didn’t know there were any houses large enough to house 14 people in Rialto. Ed.

Fourteen people were displaced Wednesday night when a fire broke in a Rialto home.

The blaze started about 7:20 p.m. in the garage of a two-story house in the 1700 block of West Via Verde Drive. Nearly 20 firefighter from Rialto and San Bernardino County Fire Department responded, extinguishing the flames in 40 minutes.

Firefighters kept the blaze contained to the garage, though the house sustained minor smoke damage. Estimated loss is $80,000. One firefighter was injured while dousing the flames.

The five adults and nine children who lived in the home safely evacuated and are being assisted by the American Red Cross.

Cause of the fire has not been determined.