A fire that started in the crawl space of a home in unincorporated Hemet spread to the attic and caused a total roof collapse Tuesday evening, displacing five adults.
The blaze was initially reported at 5:30 p.m. at a single-story, single-family dwelling located in the 27000 block of Ramona Bowl Road. First-arriving units encountered heavy smoke billowing from an elevated crawl space beneath the house.
By 8:40 p.m., the situation had escalated significantly. The fire spread into the home’s attic, ultimately resulting in the collapse of the roof. The structural failure prompted command to shift tactics, forcing the 40 firefighters on the scene into a defensive mode to battle the flames entirely from the exterior of the residence.
All occupants successfully evacuated the burning structure. Pending official confirmation from a designated Public Information Officer, the residents evacuated with injuries of unknown severity. The medical status of the responding crews is also pending official release, with firefighters operating with unknown injuries.
The American Red Cross has been requested to provide emergency assistance and accommodations for the five displaced adults, identified as one woman and four men.
