Arson investigators looking into Bermuda Dunes fire

Firefighters and police officers were on the scene of an overnight duplex fire on the 78800 Block of Avenue 42 in Bermuda Dunes early Monday morning, a block west of Adams Street.

Firefighters said the blaze was likely caused by arson.

The suspicious two-alarm blaze was first reported at 1:54 a.m., and contained to one unit of the unoccupied single story building approximately 40 minutes later. The building is on the south side of the street.

One unit suffered major damage, while a second unit saw some smoke damage during the fire.

Firefighters also found racially hostile graffiti on a garage door. Letters written in red paint were clearly visible from the street.

The Riverside County Sheriffs Department was investigating the fire’s cause and the nature of the graffiti on the building to see if there was any connection.

Neither unit was occupied because of flood damage during last week’s rain storm. It’s not known if the building was insured for flood damage.

No injuries were reported in the fire.

Police shut down Avenue 42 eastbound lanes during the incident and following investigation.