Article sponsored by Valor of the Lake Alarms and Goodwins Market
Article and photos by Andre Adame
Just before 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, emergency units responded to a commercial structure fire at the Mountain Transit office located on the 600 block of Forest Shade Road in Crestline. According to witnesses at the scene, electrical sounds of popping and shorting out could be heard while flames were burning on the side of the building. Other witnesses father away reported hearing a small explosion just before a large black header of smoke was visible from all around Lake Gregory.
San Bernardino County Fire crews from on the mountain as well as off the mountain responded along with Cal Fire and U.S. Forest Service Fire also providing a response. With an arrival time of only two minutes after dispatch, fire crews were able to prevent the flames from spreading to surrounding brush or structures, despite the light morning winds.
According to units on scene, the fire burned the outer side of the Mountain Transit building and extended into an interior office. Several fire fighters were seen entering the structure to address the interior burn, while hoses doused the building side and surrounding brush to prevent further smoldering. While the cause of the fire is currently under investigation, initial responders are assuming it was caused by a mechanical failure in the generator. An investigator had been summoned to the scene by 10 a.m.
According to an official onscene, following standard procedure, Edison cut off power to the Mountain Transit office and the surrounding structures. The Mountain Reporter would like to speak for the community and thank the emergency responders for their swift and well-coordinated efforts to mitigate this fire’s impact on the Crestline community.