April 05--A fire at a salvage yard quickly spread to a nearby neighborhood in Montclair on Monday afternoon, damaging several homes and injuring at least one person.
The fire started about 2 p.m. in the 4700 block of State Street, said Kelly Donaldson, a spokeswoman for the Rancho Cucamonga Fire District.
The flames quickly spread, engulfing old cars and rubbish at the salvage yard, then charring nearby homes. Two homes were destroyed and one home was damaged. Three detached garages were also destroyed, Donaldson said.
"It's a very large property," Donaldson said, describing the area as a dense, mixed-use area with homes and commercial business close by.
Live TV footage showed firefighters standing on rooftops of homes as a plume of black smoke filled the afternoon sky.
Dozens of firefighters from across the region arrived to help the Montclair Fire Department battle the blaze, including the Los Angeles and San Bernardino county fire departments, as well as the fire departments from Ontario, Chino, Colton, Rialto and Rancho Cucamonga.
As of 4:30 p.m., firefighters had contained about 85% of the fire, Donaldson said.
One civilian was taken to a hospital with unknown injuries, Donaldson said.
Officials were still trying to determine what started the fire.
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