Twenty-nine Rialto apartment residents are temporarily homeless this morning after a van caught fire in a carport and the flames spread to five apartment units causing at least $500,000 damage, fire officials say.

An evacuation center has been set up at the Rialto school district offices on South Willow Street. Those needing assistance can call the Red Cross at 909-888-1481.

The last fire crew left the scene at 6:39 a.m. today.

Flames were first noticed at 9:37 p.m. Tuesday along the 300 block of West Ramona Drive.

“The initial report was a van that was on fire in a carport,” said Dispatch Supervisor Jaime Vilches of the San Bernardino County Fire Department. “That’s what caused the rest of the building to catch fire.”

No one was hurt, but the half-million-dollar damage estimate probably will rise, said Rialto Fire Department Battalion Chief Troy Johnson. Two fire investigators continue to probe the burned-out areas to examine the cause.

—Richard Brooks
rbrooks@PE.com

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