Temecula’s Rancho California Inn To Reopen Following Arson Fire

It was just after midnight

There were no injuries reported in the blaze, but damage to the two-story inn caused by smoke and fire, as well as water used to extinguish the flames, destroyed the entire 24-room building located at 41873 Moreno Road, according to Suresh Patel, owner of the Temecula establishment.

The cause of the fire was arson but a suspect was never found, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Jody Hagemann.

On April 11, nearly 14 months after the blaze, Patel and his wife Daxa celebrated Rancho California Inn’s reconstruction wrap-up with a ribbon cutting. The inn is expected to open April 17 or 18, Suresh said.

The Patel’s provided tours during the ceremony of the newly reconstructed inn that sits in its same location on Moreno Road. They were surrounded by supporters, including members of the Temecula Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, the local organization that helps promote tourism in the Temecula area.

The couple answered questions about the inn’s history, the reconstruction efforts, and the disastrous fire.

When asked about the cause of the blaze, Patel said he wasn’t exactly sure.

“I think it was old wiring, or something like that,” he said.

The Patel’s said they were inside the inn’s office on Jan. 21, 2012 when a guest came running in and said, “the stairs are on fire.”

An immediate call was placed to 911. It took 58 firefighters more than an hour to quell the flames, according a Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department report issued shortly after the blaze was contained.

Several inn guests were displaced by the fire, and the Red Cross was called in to assist them, according to the report.

Although the blaze was contained to rooms on the inn's top floor, Suresh said the building’s bottom level was damaged by water and the entire structure had to be torn down in order to rebuild.

“All that was left was the skeleton,” he said.

Insurance covered the cost of rebuilding the approximately $1.4 million structure; the Patel’s loss of income during the long reconstruction effort was also compensated by insurance, according to Suresh.

The Patel’s purchased the inn in 2003 after spending much of their working lives in the hospitality industry, they said. The couple, now in their 50s, explained they cater to all types of guests due to their reasonable room rates that have traditionally started at under $100 during the week.

According to Temecula Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau president and CEO Kimberly Adams, the inn's reopening has been highly anticipated, especially as the summer months approach and high tourism season gets underway in Temecula.

"We need the extra rooms," she said.

For more information about the inn, click here.