Local business owner loses nearly $1 million in fire

A lifetime of collections valued at $1 million dollars was lost during a two-alarm fire in Palm Desert Tuesday afternoon.

“There (were) flames in the middle of the warehouse near a truck we were working on. We went through three fire extinguishers and nothing happened,” David Buehn, owner of Rough and Ready Antiques told KESQ News Channel 3’s and CBS Local 2’s Katie Widner.

Buehn said he was working in his office around 1:40 p.m. Tuesday when someone yelled fire.

“I grabbed a few things, my briefcase and got out and there was nothing we could do. It was totally engulfed,” he added.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, Buehn said he has had a lifelong fascination with military antiques and artifacts. Among the losses were five antique vehicles, hundreds of research books and thousands of dollars in ammunition- remnants of his 40 years as an antique gun dealer. That was also part of the reason the fire became so involved.

“It sounded like a machine gun fire coming from inside the building,” said CAL FIRE Riverside County Fire Department Battalion Chief Rick Griggs.

Crews had the fire contained in nearly two hours, but it was too late to save the business. The front of the structure was condemned by the city. The rest of the property was also affected.

“Even though we didn’t get a lot of fire, we got a lot of smoke and water damage. So, they had 100 percent loss, but we had some big loss too. I believe we’re gonna have to move to as well,” said Jose Lopez, owner of Shipping Services USA, which shares a wall with the antique business.