Fire officials are investigating the cause of two fires that burned two Wonder Valley homes to the ground Sunday night just a few hours apart. Firefighters responded to multiple reports of the first single-story structure fire near Virginia and Meriweather Roads about 7:15 p.m., said San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Ryan Vaccaro. Upon arrival, crews from Wonder Valley, the Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, and a water tender from Yucca Mesa went into attack mode. However, their efforts were hindered by a lack of fire hydrants in the remote area and exposed power lines near home, he said. Once exposure threats were under control, firefighters had the blaze under control. No injuries were reported, but the home is a total loss. The fire was knocked down within an hour. A man at the home, Clark Gentry, 64, was arrested on a $100,000 warrant. As firefighters were mopping up the fire, they saw another fire starting in the 79700 block of Amboy Road. By the time firefighters from the Combat Center and Joshua Tree arrived, the small home had burned to the ground. Due to evidence at the scene, the Sheriff’s Department Arson unit was called in to investigate. The cause of both fires is still unknown at this time.
