Three years ago, account executives Erika and Justin Hernandez accepted the keys to a three-bedroom, two-bath home on Little Mountain that overlooked the valley in San Bernardino.
“We never thought we would be homeowners,” said Erika Hernandez , 42. “In this day and age, it’s really hard to purchase. Being first-time homeowners, we weren’t sure we would qualify.”
But they did.
And the elderly couple that for 30 years had owned the home built in 1973 picked them to move in with boys Jacob Zavala and Jace over other would-be buyers.
“They chose us because we were a family,” she said. “I was so excited and grateful.”
But now the dream home — along with their three dogs, apparently — is gone, ravaged Monday, Aug. 5, by the flames of the Edgehill fire.
“This is surreal,” said Justin Hernandez, 44, who returned with his family to the home Tuesday morning, Aug. 6, for the first time since the fire. “It’s like a bad dream. The reality of this is sinking in right now.”
Erika and Justin Hernandez were at work in Riverside when Justin received a call from a neighbor.
She arrived first.
“I saw nothing but black smoke in our front yard,” she said. “I knew something was wrong. I could see the whole hillside on fire and was praying to God that it wasn’t our home. The first thing I wanted to do was to save our dogs. We had three little dogs inside, and they were our family members.”
She couldn’t get to the home, so she gave a police officer the key to her garage. But the officer couldn’t reach the home, either, because of the danger.
Inside the home were Vinny, an 11-year-old blond pit Chihuahua name for legendary broadcaster Vin Scully; Mookie, a year-old pit bull mix named for outfielder Mookie Betts; and Arnie, a 6-year-old black-and-white terrier named for Hall of Fame golfer Arnold Palmer.
“It was a helpless feeling, knowing my pups were in there and couldn’t get out,” Erika Hernandez said.
As of Tuesday morning, the dogs could not be found.
Jacob, 17, lost hats, Air Jordan shoes and a PlayStation 5. Jace, 9, and Justin had recently turned his bedroom into a Dodgers room that included a Dodgers-themed bed, a neon “LA” sign, a television on which they watched games together and photos of Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
Erika Hernandez did find some solace.
“We’re here with the family,” she said. “All of us are safe. That is all you can ask for. We are going to be strong together.”
Another Vista Drive resident, Sheraz Mian, 36, was at the 7-Eleven he owns in Yucaipa on Monday when a neighbor called to say that Little Mountain was on fire.
By the time he arrived at about 3:10 p.m., a half-hour or so after the blaze started, his home was on fire and he could save only three pets from his home: a baby tortoise and two turkeys.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t save all of them,” Mian said.
Four dogs perished.
Mian has lived in the 2,300-square-foot home with a view of the valley since 2017.
He lives with his wife, a brother and two children.
His was one of several homes on Vista Drive that were destroyed.
“We had fire before, but nothing like this,” Mian said.
He was waiting Tuesday, Aug. 6, for an insurance adjuster to arrive. Mian was staying with a neighbor who lives across the street.
He plans to rebuild on the same spot.
“Just like the peace and quiet,” he said.
