Victims of Southern California wildfire question response time of fire crews

While some victims of a fast-moving wildfire in the City of Riverside that destroyed six homes and damaged seven others are asking questions about the fire department’s response time, city officials say the devastating blaze was caused by fireworks.

The “Hawarden Fire” started around 1:30 p.m. in the 6500 block of Hawarden Drive in Riverside Sunday and quickly spread to just over 500 acres.

An estimated 1,500 people were forced to evacuate their homes as the intense flames ignited trees and residences.

By late afternoon Monday, crews with the Riverside Fire Department had the blaze fully contained.

For Angelena Piri, who is three months pregnant, and her husband, Noel, the containment came too late. The recently married couple’s home was completely gutted by the fire.

While the Piris are heartbroken and in shock at the loss of their home, they’re also frustrated because they believe the damage to their home was preventable.

“We immediately started calling the fire department,” Angelena told KTLA. “They were like, ‘Yes, we’re dispatching them right now.’”

The Piris say that call was at about 3:39 p.m., but it wasn’t until an hour and a half later that they finally saw fire crews respond to their house.

Cpt. Paul Seawright with the Riverside Fire Department said resources were limited and that the fire’s erratic movement required additional help, but at the same time, neighboring agencies were responding to the “Eagle Fire” less than 20 miles away in Corona.

“I can’t speak to the details of the reflex time, what we call response time,” he explained. “Our dispatch center was overwhelmed at the time with multiple calls. I know that our dispatch center and our command staff and our frontline personnel did everything that they could to stop the fires from damaging structures.”

In a press conference held Monday evening, Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson confirmed the number of structures burned and damaged and added that there is surveillance footage of suspects believed to have started the fire with fireworks fleeing the area.

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As for the Piris, they said they had created a defensible space around their home and had contacted the city about the dry, overgrown brush nearby that was a fire hazard.

KTLA has reached out to city officials about whether that brush was in the city’s jurisdiction and is awaiting a response.

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