More than a dozen families lost their homes on Monday after a fire ripped through an apartment complex.
Video from the scene showed flames and heavy smoke coming from several apartment units Monday afternoon as those who were displaced watched helplessly. Among those whose home was destroyed or heavily damaged is a newlywed couple who had just celebrated their wedding on Saturday.
“It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions for my wife and daughter,” said Andrew Villaseñor, who just got married on Saturday. “We lost everything.”
Villaseñor and his wife, Karina, received a call from the complex management while running errands. The Rialto man shared how he was informed of the fire.
“We need to make sure the unit is vacant because your house is on fire and it’s gone and our hearts dropped,” he said.
Crews rushed to the apartment complex to battle the blaze as temperatures on Monday hit near-triple digits.
“I saw people crying, many families. It was terrible,” a woman who resided in the complex said.
The American Red Cross was seen supporting impacted residents on Tuesday while investigators begin to assess the damage and determine a cause.
“My wife’s wedding dress was destroyed,” Villaseñor said. “Those are things we want to keep as memories.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. There were no injuries reported in connection with the blaze.