COACHELLA, CA- Police and fire officials are on scene Friday at a mosque in Coachella, where a fire broke out just after noon local time.
According to Riverside County Fire Department Spokeswoman Jennifer Fuhrman, the blaze was reported at 12:09 p.m. at the Muslim place of worship, located at 84650 Avenue 49. When fire crews got to the scene, smoke and flames were showing at the 1800-square-foot structure.
Local TV Station KESQ reports that officials on scene believe the structure was hit by an arsonist and was “fire-bombed.”
The fire at the was contained at 12:49 p.m., according to Fhurman.
“The fire has been contained to the front lobby of the building,” she reported of the blaze at the Islamic Society of the Coachella Valley. “Per the Incident Commander smoke damage throughout the mosque, resources still checking on extension.”
A photo posted by KESQ shows a group of people praying following the fire. Another one posted to Twitter by KMIR News shows crews battling the blaze. Both can be seen embedded below.
This particular mosque has been the scene of a previous possible hate attack, when shots were fired at the building in 2014, according to the sheriff’s department.
FBI Spokeswoman Laura Eimiller tells Patch that agents are headed to the scene to assist the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department with an investigation in Friday’s fire.
“Obviously there’s a concern that a house of worship may have been targeted,” she said. “We will respond to determine whether the cause is deliberate.”
Coachella is located some 70 miles east of San Bernardino, the scene of last week’s deadly terrorist attack.
Patch will update this breaking news story as more details become available.




Patch Community Guidelines
Patch welcomes contributions and comments from our users. We strive for civil, enlightened discussions on Patch stories and local issues. Please abide by our posting standards:
Users who violate our posting rules will have their comments blocked or deleted. Users who flagrantly violate our standards can be banned at the moderator's discretion.