GONZALES — One person has died after a fire destroyed a house in Gonzales on the Fourth of July.
At about 11:05 p.m. on July 4, officers from the Gonzales Police Department responded to a residential structure fire in the 400 block of Charolais Drive, where they found a home almost fully engulfed with flames.
“The first arriving fire crews faced extreme heat from flames exceeding 20 feet in height and intense smoke conditions while they attempted to protect surrounding homes from the blaze,” according to a news release Monday.
Firefighters from the Gonzales Fire Department, Monterey County Regional Fire, Salinas Fire and Correctional Training Facility also responded.
Five family members were in the home at the time of the fire; however, one resident was reported unaccounted for, police said.
Crews performed a search of the area and found the missing family member dead in an auxiliary structure attached to the main residence.
“Following standard guidelines for fire fatalities, fire crews did not attempt to remove the deceased from the structure, and instead focused on extinguishing fire in the immediate area in order to preserve evidence for the Coroner’s investigation,” the release stated.
The victim’s identity is pending verification by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office of the Coroner.
Over the next 35 minutes, an additional four fire engines arrived on scene, bringing the total number of engines to six with 22 firefighters fighting the fire. The fire was declared under control at 1:24 a.m. on July 5, and crews remained until 4:33 a.m. performing salvage and overhaul operations, as well as extinguishing hot spots.
American Red Cross is providing support to the family members displaced by the fire, and a GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up by the family at this link.
An arson investigator with Cal Fire is assisting with the investigation to determine the cause of the fire. Gonzales Police said it is “unconfirmed at this time” if illegal fireworks caused the fire, but several aerial fireworks had been witnessed in the area.
“This is an open, active investigation,” police said.
Anyone with information, photos or videos related to this case is asked to contact the Gonzales Police Department at 109 Fourth St. or call 831-675-5010 or 831-755-5111.
