Homeless man says he saved 3 after building caught fire

Emergency crews closed a portion of Palm Drive Monday morning after a fire ignited inside an abandoned building.

“People were asleep upstairs, my back was turned making something for breakfast, I started smelling smoke, and one room was engulfed in black smoke and the whole wall was on fire,” said Shaun Healy. He said 3 other homeless men were living in the building.

“I yelled fire, I had to get the dogs out, there’s two dog here, got them out, got everyone out,” said Healy who lost almost all of his possessions in the fire.

Palm Drive was closed in both directions between Pierson Boulevard and First Street for about an hour while firefighters worked the fire. The fire sparked shortly before 10 a.m.

Southbound lanes of Palm Drive reopened around 11:15 a.m. and northbound lanes were back open at 11:45 a.m.

The two-story building, located on the northeast corner of Palm Drive and Pierson Boulevard, was formerly Hacienda Realty, according to a sign in front of the building.

Firefighters contained the blaze by 10:12 a.m. to a front lobby area, according to officials with the Riverside County Fire Department.

“We have had a rise in our homeless population here in Desert Hot Springs, and it has been a difficult challenge with the Code Enforcement keeping these encampments in places like this closed up, so it’s an ongoing battle and this is just a demonstration of that difficulty,” said Patrick Tomlinson, Batalion Chief for the Riverside County Fire Department in Desert Hot Springs.

One person was treated for minor smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene and released. Officials said they expect to reopen Palm Drive as soon as firefighters are done mopping up the scene. It’s unclear how much damage was caused by the fire.

At least four homeless people were staying in the abandoned building and they’re looking for somewhere else to stay now.

Investigators are looking into the cause. News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 will have more information as the investigation moves forward.