Family of 7 Homeless After Jurupa Valley Fire

A destructive fire that ripped through the small community of Jurupa Valley left a family of seven homeless, and the patriarch alleges that fire crews of not doing enough to protect his home.

On any other day, a fire like Tuesday’s could be knocked down fairly quickly. But powerful Santa Ana winds gusting up to 35 mph combined with a tightly constructed neighborhood of homes and outbuildings to make the task especially difficult.

Download NBC4's Free Weather App

Alejandro Heredia was at home with his 16-day-old and 3-year-old children when his mobile home caught fire. Heredia and his wife and five children are safe, but their three-bedroom mobile home was a smoldering ruin Tuesday night.

“My jewelry, my money, my furniture, everything,” Heredia said, describing what he lost in just minutes.

Heredia said he believes firefighters could have saved his home but refused to help him when he asked.

Photos: Brush Fire Burns Above Traffic-Snarled PCH

The captain of the Riverside County Fire Department responded to the claim to NBC4.

“Sometimes, the bigger story or the bigger picture is to save the most amount of things. And sometimes, we can’t get to the other things that are going on,” Capt. Lucas Spelman said.

In the case of the Mission Fire, that meant a hard-charging, wind-fueled blaze that jumped from home to home and building to building.

At least 110 firefighters fought the blaze, which prompted mandatory evacuations in a 1-square-mile area, the Riverside County Fire Department said.

Goats Enlisted to Fight Fire Danger

Two acres of vegetation, 40 vehicles (most of which were under repair or salvaged), three motorhomes and four residential homes were destroyed, the agency said, citing a preliminary damage assessment. Two other structures were damaged.

Much of Southern California, including Riverside County, remained under Red Flag warnings Tuesday as dry, hot conditions fueled high fire danger.