Smoke causes alarm at church – Hi-Desert Star: News: san bernardino county california, morongo valley california, twentynine palms california, cheri campbell, joseph campbell
MORONGO VALLEY — Several agencies responded to a possible fireat the home of the pastor of the Church of Morongo Thursdaymorning.
Units from Morongo Valley, Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and RiversideCounty answered the call for a report of a hot wall and the smellof smoke at 50865 Twentynine Palms Highway.
Pastor Joseph Campbell and his wife, Cheri, live in the house onthe same property as the church.
Cheri Campbell, who placed the call shortly before 10 a.m., saidshe noticed a musty, smoky smell at their residence and felt thewall was hot around the heater.
There was no sign of fire or burning.
“The firemen told me they would try for minimal damage,” Campbellsaid hopefully as a responder with a large pike entered thehouse.
The firefighters used a heat detector and had to make a couple ofsmall pokes in the ceiling. it was found that a wire in theheater’s relay switch was burned.
The pastor wasn’t home, but Cheri Campbell had friends with herwhile the response operations were taking place.
Fire Chief Curtis Hooper of Morongo Valley Station 461 didn’tdownplay the importance of the close call.
“It’s breezy today,” he observed at the location nestled in thebrush.
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