Arson investigators were summoned to examine the remnants of the fire and identify the exact cause.
RIVERSIDE, CA — A fire that erupted adjacent to a downtown Riverside apartment complex may have been intentionally set, authorities said Monday.
The non-injury blaze was reported just after 5 p.m. Sunday in the 3000 block of Mission Inn Avenue, near Commerce Street, behind the Mission Lofts Apartments, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
Battalion Chief Mike Allen said three engine crews and a truck company — numbering nearly 20 personnel — were sent to the location and encountered flames burning “rubbish and a large trailer up against a building.”
Allen said firefighters “made an aggressive attack on the fire and kept it contained to the exterior of the building.”
The blaze was completely knocked down at 5:50 p.m.
The property damage was estimated to be $100,000, according to Allen.
“Witnesses reported seeing a person standing at the fire’s origin when it started,” he said.
Arson investigators were summoned to examine the remnants of the fire and identify the exact cause.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the fire department at 951-826-5321.
