Coachella Family Displaced By House Fire

A desert family was left homeless Friday after a fire scorched and gutted their backyard.

Smoke also damaged some of the interior of the home.

Cal Fire responded to massive flames and thick black smoke billowing from a single story home just before 3:00 p.m. on the 85000 block of Calle Ninos in Coachella.

The insurance adjuster assigned to the case said the home can be saved.

But eight people have been displaced as a result of this fire — four adults and four kids.

“The flames,” said Ashley Casillas, a witness. “They were just so big.”

Cal Fire spotted the blaze well before they reached the home.

“It put out a lot of smoke and it was very impressive upon our arrival,” said Daniel Talbot, a battalion chief with Cal Fire.

Jose casillas was frightened by the scene — he lives next door.

Casillas was walking home from school with his sister Ashley when his neighbor’s backyard caught fire.

“I didn’t want to go,” he said. “I thought like there was like a huge fire and the house like going to explode.”

The family was gone when it started but their dogs were inside.

One of the pitbulls made it out alive but the other is still missing — a neighbor came to the rescue.

“The neighbor had to break into the house so he could get the dogs out,” said Ashley Casillas.

Cal Fire showed up with more than 20 fire fighters and seven engines and arrived just five minutes after receiving the call.

The fire was under control 15 minutes later.

“The wooden patio to the rear has been completely destroyed,” said Talbot. “There is some heat and smoke damage to the interior of the structure.”

Fire fighters axed holes in the roof and drenched the top of the house with water.

But some flames did extend into the attic.

“That void space in the attic,” said Talbot. “We’re making double sure that there’s no small hidden fire in that area.”

The next door neighbors helped out before the fire department arrived by dumping water over the blaze helping to curb the spread.

“There were a lot of people calling on the phones,” said Ashley Casillas. “I saw them calling 911.”

Friends feel bad for the family, “Because they were like good people,” said Jose Casillas.

The fire crew managed to salvage most of the furniture inside the home by removing it or tarping it off.

Still, neighbors said the road to recovery could be long.

“Moving all of this, trying to buy a new house, new things for their house — that would be bad,” said Ashley Casillas.

The American Red Cross will assist the family with housing for the next few days.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.