MORONGO VALLEY FAMILY LEFT HOMELESS AFTER HOUSE FIRE

A Morongo Valley family is homeless after a fire destroyed their home and killed their dogs Tuesday afternoon. According to Morongo Valley Fire Chief Jock Johnson, the residents were not home when the fire started, but when they returned to their home in the 50900 block of Aspen Drive about 1:45 p.m., they saw smoke and called 911. The home was fully involved with flames when firefighters arrived at 1:48. Johnson said firefighters were aggressive in knocking down the fire. However, Johnson said firefighters were hampered by the lack of water hydrants nearby. Water tenders from Lucerne Valley and Riverside County were called in to help shuttle water from hydrants about a half mile away from the home. In all, more than two dozen firefighters from Morongo Valley, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and CalFire fought the blaze. Johnson said the home is a total loss due to fire and smoke damage, and although firefighters were able to save a lot of their personal belongings, the residents’ three dogs were killed in the blaze. The Red Cross was called in to assist. The cause of the fire is still undetermined.