Rundown Property Worries Neighbor After Fire Breaks Out

A Murrieta property on which a fire broke out this week is being called unsafe and an eyesore by at least one neighbor, and is being investigated by authorities for possible code violations.

Murrieta firefighters responded at about 11:14 p.m. Monday to a property at the corner of Fig Street and Hoover Avenue to find a small shed fully engulfed in flames, according to Murrieta fire Chief Matt Shobert.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation; however, Shobert said it may have been caused by someone lighting a fire to warm themself or cook.

"We are still looking into that with our Police Department and Code Enforcement," Shobert said. "It is a unified effort to investigate the fire."

A neighbor emailed Patch with concerns about the property, but asked to remain anonymous. The neighbor said the person who owns the once vacant lot rented it out for storage purposes. During the last six to eight months, the lot has instead been used as someone's makeshift living quarters, the neighbor alleged.

"It is a nuisance. Everything stinks very badly. It is a bad mess," said the neighbor, who has lived in close proximity to the lot for several years.

Code Enforcement was seen paying a visit to the property on Thursday, though the outcome was not immediately known.

"PD Code Enforcement is looking at all potential violations," Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad said earlier in the week.