Blaze at Riverside Apartment Building Displaces 32 People

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – A cleanup effort was underway Tuesday at an apartment building in Riverside left uninhabitable following a fire that displaced more than two dozen residents.

The blaze erupted at about 3:30 p.m. Monday at the Sierra Pines Apartments in the 3900 block of Fir Tree Drive, just north of the Riverside (91) Freeway, according to the Riverside Fire Department.

Captain Matt Stibal said seven engine crews and two truck companies — numbering more than three dozen firefighters — were sent to the location and encountered smoke and flames pouring out of a second-floor unit.

Crews spent more than an hour battling the blaze before gaining the upper hand.

"During the fire attack, a firefighter suffered a moderate injury and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital," Stibal said. "There were no civilian injuries."

Damage to the building was extensive, and authorities ultimately determined the entire 16-unit structure had been compromised, at which point it was red-tagged by inspectors, according to the fire captain.

A total of 32 people were displaced, and Red Cross personnel were requested to assist them with finding temporary alternate lodgings.

Stibal said the cause of the fire was accidental, but the exact ignition source was unspecified.

An investigation is ongoing.

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