On Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at 5:14 PM, Rialto firefighters and several partner fire agencies battled a 16-unit apartment complex fire on Cactus Avenue when as many as 80 Rialto residents, including children and pets, were immediately displaced.
“Understanding the severity of the situation, within hours of the structure fire, Rialto Unified School District began the process to partner with the Red Cross to open Simpson Elementary School (located at 1050 S. Lilac Avenue in Rialto) as an evacuation site,” stated Syeda Jafri, district spokesperson. “Simpson Elementary School administration team, Simpson PTA, and various school and District officials joined parent volunteers, local business leaders and community organizations to generously assist the Red Cross throughout the night into the early morning, and many remained to continue supporting our community in need until Wednesday. It was a shared priority to make sure we offer our families as much comfort as possible.”
According to Jafri, the response from the RUSD Board of Education and interim Superintendent Dr. Judy D. White was to extend Simpson Elementary School as a facility for the Red Cross to use through Wednesday, Nov. 26…