Early morning fire destroys Moose Lodge in Mentone

A fast moving blaze in the early morning hours on Wednesday, caused the roof to collapse of the local Moose Lodge in Mentone.

At 5:45 a.m. San Bernardino County Fire responded to a reported structure fire in the 2100 block of Mentone Boulevard. The first engine arrived to find a medium sized commercial building in, what County Fire termed, “well-involved fire”.

A second-alarm was called as gusty Santa Ana winds were observed to be carrying embers into the adjacent community, creating a threat to the nearby homes. Firefighters on scene mounted an aggressive interior attack on the commercial structure, while additional resources patrolled the neighborhoods monitoring the ember cast.

Unfortunately, the high winds carried the fire rapidly through the lodge and forced firefighters to transition to a defensive attack when the roof of the structure collapsed. About 90 minutes after crews arrived, the fire was brought under control, unfortunately the commercial structure was determined to be a total loss.

San Bernardino County Fire was assisted by the Redlands Fire Department and Cal Fire – San Bernardino Unit. No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported. Eleven engines, three truck companies, one hand crew and three chief officers totaling seventy personnel were assigned to the incident.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation through County Fire’s Office of the Fire Marshal.