Investigations have discovered the cause of a powerful and damaging blaze that tore through the City of Riverside in Riverside County, California.
Several people who were suspected of being involved in sparking the fire were seen on CCTV footage fleeing the scene, and questions were asked about the response time of local firefighting emergency services.
Serious Blaze
The fire spread erratically, and caused a number of serious consequences for the city of Riverside.
Around 1500 people faced evacuation orders as the fire spread across 500 acres and caused around $10 million worth of damage.
California Fire Troubles
California has faced a number of issues with fires in recent weeks due to hot, dry weather.
Wildfires further north have damaged thousands of acres of land and dispossessed residents from their homes, although this blaze had a more artificial origin.
The Hawarden Fire
The fire has been dubbed the Hawarden Fire, referring to the place where it is believed the fire originated.
The fire is reported to have started at around 1.30PM on Hawarden Drive towards the southern end of Riverside.
Fire Department Face Criticism
The local fire department has been criticized for a perceived slow response time, as the fire raged through the area.
Before the fire was contained, it had caused the destruction of a reported 6 houses and damaged 7 more.
Honeymoon Period Interrupted
A newly wedded couple, who saw their home destroyed during the disaster, were unimpressed by the emergency services.
Angelena Piri said, to KTLA: “We immediately started calling the fire department. They were like, ‘Yes, we’re dispatching them right now.'”
Fire Department Tardiness
The couple put in their call at 3.39PM, as soon as the fire reached their home.
However, the fire department did not begin to contain the fire until an hour and a half later, by which point it was too late to save the house.
Fire Department Respond
The fire department says that they were “overwhelmed” at the time, as multiple calls were coming in, including for another nearby fire.
Riverside Fire Department Captain, Paul Seawright, said: “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.”
Mayor Reveals Origin of Fire
Riverside’s Mayor, Patricia Lock Dawson, said, in a news conference that the fire was caused by irresponsible use of fireworks.
Rather than staying behind to deal with the consequences, footage shows the suspects fleeing the scene.
Suspects Will Face Prosecution
Dawson has promised that the suspects will be found, and they are currently looking for a vehicle that was seen in the footage.
Dawson reiterated: “We will ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Let me repeat that. We will prosecute those responsible for this incident.”
