Cause of Fire at Temecula Business Unknown

Several boxes caught fire mysteriously, causing the evacuation of a Temecula business today.

The fire was reported at 9:23 a.m. at ION Mechanical, Inc., an engineering and contracting business at 27665 Commerce Center Dr.

Four engines, a fire truck, an ambulance and 18 firefighters rushed to the business, where they found three boxes on fire and the 4,500-square-foot business filled with a smoky haze, according to Melody Hendrickson, spokesperson for the Riverside County Fire Department.

Firefighters contained the fire to the boxes by 9:33 a.m. and treated one employee on the scene for smoke inhalation. He declined to go to a hospital, according to Hendrickson.

The building’s lobby smelled faintly of smoke three hours later, and three burnt boxes sat in the parking lot. The employees were working in a portable building in the parking lot while the smoke cleared, said Sarah Newton, the company’s president.

A sleeve used for heaters and air conditioners was the source of the fire, though how it caught fire was unknown, Newton said.