Family and Pets rescued in Desert Hot Springs neighborhood blaze
Three adults and one baby are out of their home after a fire in Desert Hot Spring's Mission Lakes Country Club.
We spoke with Cal Fire Riverside County, Battalion Chief Josh Rivers who said the cause of the fire was still under investigation shortly after 7 p.m.
At that time, the flames were contained and crews were working on mop up.
We had the chance to meet some of the family that were impacted. Many of them focused on rescuing their pets and checking up on their loved ones.
Christopher Martinez, who lives next to the house that caught on fire is thankful to be reunited with his dog, Marley after the two were separated while flames broke out.
"I'm just grateful," said Martinez. "You know, material could be replaced, but Marley can't be replaced. So I'm just glad I got my boy. And, yeah, life is good."
It’s all thanks to help of his neighbor, Anthony Walker who was in his backyard at the time of the fire.
His ring camera capturing video of towering smoke coming from their neighbor’s home.
"My neighbor was actually my coworker," said Walker. "He's right next door, and we know he has a dog there, so I call him. He's like, 'Yeah, Marley's in the house.' So I literally came over here, flew over here. My car's still here."
Walker says he struggled a bit trying to rescue the 100 pound dog.
"I'm like, oh my god, I need to get him out of the house. I go in here, and he's not wanting to go with me," added Walker.
Eventually he was able to find Marley’s leash and bring him to safety.
"There's flames coming towards his house as I'm going into his house to get the dog," said Walker. "So the entire time, I'm wondering, 'Is this house is gonna go up in flames?"
Martinez’s home was spared from the flames as crews completed a quick response containing the flames to one home.
"I'm just happy. You know, I don't have kids, and this is my son right here, so I'm just grateful to have him back," said Martinez.
Cal Fire officials reported that one resident was inside the home while flames broke out. He did have trouble breathing but denied transportation from an ambulance.
Three cats were also in the home at the time of the fire, but were rescued by their owners and brought to safety.
There were a handful of close calls but family members of the folks whose house caught on fire tell us they’re thankful everyone is safe.
Cal Fire officials hope to know the cause of the fire by Friday night.
