By Lori Consalvo
The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
POMONA, Calif. — The owner of a historic house that burned down on Saturday is blaming firefighters for their slow response time and lack of action.
Los Angeles County Fire Department officials dispute the allegations and said they were at the blaze two minutes after they received the initial call and had flames knocked down within 40 minutes.
Larry Henry, 62, lost his house on Saturday during a fire that started near his backyard on North Garey Avenue and burned vegetation and a number of structures.
Henry said it took firefighters 15 to 20 minutes to respond and even longer to set up and attack the blaze.
He questioned the number of firefighters who responded as well as their lack of urgency.
“Once they got here, it took them forever to set up,” Henry said.
“If they had immediately drawn water to the backyard ... they would have come across a very small fire and could have saved three homes.”
Henry said he called 9-1-1 about 4:45 p.m. — which he based on a neighbor telling him the time.
According to the Fire Department’s incident logs, the initial call came in at 5:08 p.m. and the first unit arrived at 5:10 p.m. to the scene in the area of Kingsley Avenue and Gordon Street.
“In the heat of adrenaline, time seems to move faster,” Inspector Frank Garrido said. “We see a lot of questions (like) ‘Why did it take so long?”’
Officials asked for two additional engines at 5:17 p.m.
A second alarm was called eight minutes later.
A third alarm was eventually called.
In total, about 180 firefighters responded to the fire, Garrido said.
“I don’t believe there were ever 150 here,” Henry said. “I would estimate half that (number), and that’s being generous.”
The fire began in a shed on Gordon and quickly spread to a nearby eucalyptus tree, Garrido said. The tree set off brush in the area and the blaze spread to a 21-unit apartment complex on Gordon.
The embers carried over into a field near some houses in the 800 block of Garey, according to witnesses. The embers eventually ignited the houses.
The fire was knocked down by about 7:40 p.m., Garrido said.
Fire officials estimated that damage to the area totaled about $2 million.
A shed, a detached garage and four houses — one of them Henry’s — were destroyed.
Henry said he had to watch as his historic home and the property around it went up in flames.
“We’ve lost three gorgeous old homes and affected people’s lives forever because (firefighters) weren’t hustling,” he said.
There also was minor damage to one unit in the 21-unit apartment complex and eight other family houses.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Garrido said.
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