Overnight blaze in Sky Valley kills one person and destroys home
*Updated March 16, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.
An 83-year-old man was killed in a fire that destroyed two mobile homes early Wednesday morning in Sky Valley.
The fire was reported at 12:27 a.m on the 69200 block of Parkside Drive.
Crews arrived and found a double-wide mobile home fully engulfed inside the Desert Crest Country Club.
Firefighters at the scene told News Channel 3 another mobile home had burns that made the trailer inhabitable, and two others were also burned.
“I have one double-wide mobile home that was completely engulfed in fire and it was destroyed," explained Desert Hot Springs Batallion Chief Timothy Bingham. "Just to the north of it, a second double-wide mobile home unattached garage was damaged by the fire.”
All of those who were evacuated from the surrounding homes were able to return a few hours later.
No injuries were initially reported, but the homeowner of the first mobile home had yet to be accounted for, according to Cal Fire.
Chief Bingham confirmed at the scene that one person was found dead inside the home. The Riverside County Coroner's Office identified the victim as an 83-year-old man. His name has not been released at this time.
No other information surrounding the death has been released.
#ParkIC UPDATE- The fire occurred in neighboring Sky Valley, not DHS. The fire was contained at 1:48 AM and destroyed 2 mobile homes and several trees. There is 1 confirmed civilian fatality. 2 other occupants were displaced. The cause of the fire is under investigation
— CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) March 16, 2022
Neighbors tell News Channel 3 that a man lived alone in the burnt-down home.
Donald Sweet who lives a few houses down said he was in bed when he heard all the commotion happening outdoors.
“We heard some pops. It sounded like a gun shooting, you know like they do out here," said Sweet. "Then we heard a crackling noise. At first, we thought it was just someone in our backyard. I look out our back window and all I could see was orange."
Cal Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
Watch News Channel 3 at 5 & 6 p.m. for the latest details on the investigation.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story identified the location as Desert Hot Springs as was originally reported by CalFire.
