UPDATE: HEMET: Popular restaurant, El Patron, destroyed by blaze
More than 35 firefighters battled the blaze at popular Hemet eatery, El Patron. George Evans photo
Fire rages at El Patron Restaurant. Jordan D’Agostino photo
HEMET – A popular Hemet restaurant, El Patron, was destroyed by a blaze that burned out of control for more than five hours after it caught fire Thursday Dec. 22. The restaurant is located in the 41000 block of Highway 74 in the Little Lake community in the unincorporated area of Hemet.
Cal Fire/Riverside County firefighters responded to reports of the early-morning blaze at the restaurant at 1:35 a.m.
25 firefighters from seven engine companies were initially dispatched to the fire, according to Cal Fire Riverside County Fire Public Information Officer April Newman. They were assisted by a Breathing Support Unit and a Medic Squad.
Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Hemet and San Jacinto Police Stations responded to the location to assist with crowd and traffic control.
The first arriving engine company reported a large, 3,000 square foot commercial restaurant with heavy smoke and fire showing through the roof.
Firefighters immediately began to mount an aggressive attack against the fire. However, in spite of their efforts and the intermittent rain, the fire continued to grow.
Firefighters battle the blaze at El Patron Restaurant. Jordan D’Agostino photo
While firefighters battled the blaze, deputies diverted east and west bound traffic away from the scene of the blaze, to ensure the safety of emergency first responders at the scene of the fire.
At 2:30 a.m., Newman updated that the restaurant was fully engulfed in flames and was burning out of control.
Two additional engine companies and a truck company were were summoned to the scene of the fire as firefighters switched from attack to defensive mode.
“Firefighters are battling the fire from the exterior of the building,” Newman explained.
Newman provided another update at 2:55 a.m., stating that firefighters were continuing to battle the raging blaze and were expected to keep fighting the fire for three to four more hours.
Firefighters finally brought the blaze under control shortly after 6 a.m., but not until after the restaurant sustained ” significant fire damage throughout the structure,” Newman explained. The blaze caused nearly $1 million dollars in damage, according to Newman.
In all, more than 35 firefighters helped bring the fire under control.
Firefighters were expected to remain on scene for several more hours for extensive overhaul and mop up operations.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as they become available.
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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, Personnel and Background Investigations and he finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator.
Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.
s0o sad, i remeber i used to eat pancakes there in my infancy.
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