Suspect Arrested In Temecula Valley Wine Country Easter Fire, Wineries Respond

TEMECULA, CA — An Easter Sunday brush fire through Temecula Valley Wine Country is thought to be arson-related, officials say.

Brian Gessel, 41, was arrested near where the fire ignited at Butterfield Stage and Rancho California Roads. He was being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center, taken into custody by Cal Fire/Riverside County investigators on suspicion of igniting the blaze, according to spokesperson Maggie Cline De La Rosa.

The brush fire began just after 2:30 p.m. in the 32700 block of Rancho California Road, according to the department, and began in the canyon area just west of Callaway Vineyard & Winery.

Smoke could also be seen from wineries across the valley, where many locations were in the middle of Easter brunch and activities.

When the blaze was first reported, the fire had already consumed 5 to 7 acres and was growing rapidly to 25 acres amid steady westerly winds. The forward rate of spread slowed around 4 p.m., as firefighters battled the brush fire from the air and on the ground.

Fire danger in the region on Sunday was considered "extreme," due to temperatures in the mid-80s and dry conditions, including humidity below 10% earlier in the day. Winds out of the southwest blew at up to 10 to 15 miles per hour.

Area wineries expressed their thanks for the rapid response.

"On behalf of Callaway Winery, we want to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to CalFire for acting so quickly in putting out this fire!" they said on the Instagram post. "Words cannot express how grateful we are for the dedication, skills, and commitment to keeping our community safe!"

Callaway was fully closed during the incident and remained closed for the remainder of the day, but promised it would be open Monday at its normal time, the winery posted on its Instagram account.

According to the Callaway Instagram page, only a few grapevines were affected by the fire.

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The smoke was visible from across Temecula Valley Wine Country, prompting several wineries to briefly close during the firefight or to close for the afternoon due to the blaze.

Firefighters remained on scene for several hours for full containment and mop-up.

No injuries were reported.

Gessel was slated to answer charges on Wednesday morning at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.