Dozens affected as Indio fire scorches apartment complex

This weekend was a complete loss for 28 people who called the 16-unit Smoketree Apartment Complex their home.The majority of residents, if not all, claim to not even have renter’s insurance. From burnt identifications to singed savings, valuables were lost in the fire that churned from Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Juan Guevara and his family, residents of the first floor in Smoke Tree, were home when the fire started.

“You should have seen the flames, it was a mushroom! The kids were scared. My brother, his PS4 was inside. He’s a little kid, so he thought he lost everything. My little sister, all her books and everything, everything is gone. But we try to keep it positive as if everything is going to be fine. But as adults, we know that everything is not alright.”

Red Cross stepped in and offered a clubhouse to provide food and water for those stripped of their homes. The families were also given a three-nights stay in a nearby hotel.

In regards to the incident, Mark Oakley, Battalion Chief of Riverside Fire Department, explained”the fire department responded [immediately] and did an aggressive interior attack. The fire rapidly went through the roof to the attic, and then we went into a defensive mode and were able to keep the fire to the roof and the second story, preventing it from getting to the first floor.”

Even though the apartments had firewalls to prevent the spread of flames, the fire started on the second floor and spread up into the attic, which has no fire walls because it is all common space. This resulted in a quick spread on the top floors.

Additionally, none of the smoke alarms were triggered, even though residents claim there was heavy smoke enclosed and encompassing the building.

Now, some of the residents say they are threatening legal action.

Guevara says,”We’re going to talk to a lawyer because pretty much all of our entire identifications are in there. We’re trying to see what we can do so we don’t do the wrong thing. We just want to get fair treatment for everybody, because we lost everything. So there’s nothing left to do but wait for someone to help you out. Because, look around, there’s really nothing to look for.”

At the present time, management at the Smoke Tree apartment complex has no comments.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but is under investigation.