Friday night will be a night a Marine and his girlfriend will never forget. According to Twentynine Palms Fire Captain Robert Marquez, a woman visiting her Marine boyfriend—who will be deploying soon—planned a romantic evening at the Circle C Lodge, at 6340 El Rey Avenue, in Twentynine Palms, complete with rose petals, wine, and candles. But when Maria Alvara, 19, returned to the motel, her room was engulfed in fire. Firefighters were called to the scene about 10:40 Friday night, and had the fire knocked down in about 20 minutes. The room and its contents were a total loss, and an adjacent laundry room suffered light smoke damage. Captain Marquez offered the following advice: “Don’t leave candles unattended.” Then 6:55 Sunday morning, firefighters were called back to the motel to put out a fire that had flared up in the adjacent laundry room. They were able to put that fire out in about 30 minutes.
