Arson investigators from the Fire and Sheriff’s Department were called to two suspicious fires in the Wonder Valley/Twentynine Palms area Thursday night.
About 9:15 p.m., Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree firefighters were called to the 5900 block of Aztec Avenue in Twentynine Palms for an abandoned recreational vehicle that was on fire in the open desert. The arson is under investigation.
Then about 11:50 p.m., Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree and Combat Center firefighters were called to a large shed fire in Wonder Valley Thursday night. County Fire Battalion Chief Donnie Viloria said a neighbor in the 83400 block of Amboy Road called to report the Palms Restaurant was on fire just before midnight, but he added firefighters discovered the fire was burning a collection of sheds on a property nearby. The sheds, which were directly adjacent to each other, covered an area of about 100 feet by 100 feet, were fully involved in flames when crews arrived, and were a total loss. Firefighters were able to save the house and other sheds on the property. Viloria said the fire is suspicious and under investigation because there were no utilities to any of them. These are the ninth and 10th suspicious fires in the Twentynine Palms/Wonder Valley area in six weeks, but it’s unclear if this arson is related to any of the other fires.
