Mother's quick action saves family from explosive house fire

REDLANDS, Calif. – A Redlands family narrowly escaped tragedy when a fire erupted in their neighbor's yard, rapidly spreading to their historic home and triggering a gas explosion.

Trisha Cupples, a teacher at Redlands Unified School District, was in her kitchen on Saturday, Aug. 17, when she heard unusual popping noises outside. Upon investigating, she saw smoke rising from her neighbor's yard, dangerously close to her fence.

"I went outside and didn't see anybody, so I called 9-1-1," Cupples recounted. "While I was on the phone with 9-1-1, I went back into the house, got my daughter and ran out to the front."

As she spoke with the dispatcher, Cupples realized the severity of the situation as flames moved quickly toward the fence line. Concerned about a nearby gas line, Cupples decided to move further away from the house with her daughter.

Moments later, a gas explosion rocked the property.

The explosion blew the gas meter off the side of the house and ignited the main gas line, according to Cupples. The blaze quickly engulfed the rear of the house, destroying the kitchen and living room.

"It was blowing into our house like a huge blow torch," recalled Cupples.

Redlands Firefighters responded to the two-story Victorian home in the 100 block of Fern Avenue shortly before 4 p.m. to find fire consuming both floors and the attic in the northwest corner of the home, according to the Redlands Fire Department.

Nine fire trucks responded to the scene to battle the flames. It took Redlands Fire Department two hours to knock out the blaze with help from Loma Linda, San Bernardino County, San Manuel and Cal Fire.

Cupples says her husband and son were away at a soccer tournament when the house caught fire, and luckily no one was injured.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Cupples noted the presence of potential fuel sources in her neighbor's yard, including dry wood piles and twigs.

Sorting through the rubble

The family is now staying with relatives while searching for a rental property in their neighborhood. The family hopes to remain in the neighborhood and restore the historic charm of their 1900 Victorian home. The fire destroyed much of the home's original wood floors, molding, doors, and windows, said Cupples. What's left of the family's possessions have also been destroyed by fire, roof collapse or water damage.

"Every day, we think of something else that we had," Cupples said, reflecting on the loss of irreplaceable family heirlooms and the daunting task of documenting every possession for insurance purposes.

Community support

Following the fire, the Redlands community began to rally around the homeowners. Friends gathered and donated necessities like clothes, shoes, and toiletries for the family.

Redlands Unified teachers pitched in with new backpacks, lunch boxes, soccer cleats, and games for the children, who had just started 1st and 3rd grade a week earlier.

"We're really grateful and appreciative of how much kindness and generosity everyone has shown us in this situation and, you know, it's very overwhelming, but it's so appreciated."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the family's immediate needs. Riana Fisher, Cupples' friend who helped set up the page, said in an email that everyone is doing "okay" because "they have a great support system," but donations will help with ongoing needs like clothing and other housing essentials.

"I am sad that we lost everything, but I didn't lose anything that I can't replace," said Cupples.

The ordeal has left her wanting to warn others to take situations like this seriously and act quickly.

"If I wouldn't have heard the fire, if I wouldn't have reacted as fast as I did, my daughter and I were right in the area that blew up," she said. "We were two minutes away from being part of that."

The damage to the home is estimated at $800,000. The official cause of the fire remains under investigation.