Murrieta tow yard blaze destroys a dozen or more vehicles

February 3, 2019 Trevor Montgomery

MURRIETA — Fire and police officials are investigating a destructive blaze that ripped through a Murrieta tow yard early this morning, Sunday, Feb. 3. The fast moving fire left more than a dozen cars destroyed or heavily damaged at United Towing Service, in the 26000 block of Adams Avenue, on the city’s south end.

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City of Murrieta Fire and Police Departments, along with other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the tow yard shortly after 4 a.m., after receiving reports of a large and growing car fire.

Firefighters battled an early morning blaze at a Murrieta tow yard that destroyed or damaged more than a dozen vehicles. Joe Fanaselle photo

When officials arrived they confirmed finding numerous vehicles fully engulfed in flames and reported that the blaze was spreading to nearby cars, as well as area trees and vegetation.

Firefighters used multiple hose lines and began an aggressive attack on the fire, which they reportedly contained within twenty minutes of their arrival. Once firefighters had knocked down the blaze they confirmed that as many as a dozen vehicles were destroyed, with several more damaged from the intense flames, heat, and smoke.

Murrieta’s Fire Marshall and an arson investigator responded to the scene to help investigate the cause of the fire, which has not yet been determined and is still under investigation.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

Click any image to open full-size gallery.

Joe Fanaselle photos

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor 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, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with 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, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.