Desert Hot Springs family begins recovery after mobile home fire destroys father's home

A Desert Hot Springs family is facing the difficult task of rebuilding after a fire destroyed a mobile home, injured one resident and displaced four adults Wednesday morning.

According to CAL FIRE, the fire broke out around 9 a.m. at the Rainbow Spa Senior Mobile Home Park in Desert Hot Springs. Firefighters say one mobile home was completely destroyed, two neighboring units were severely damaged and four adults were displaced.

Richelle Jones said she was more than 1,000 miles away in Nebraska when the fire broke out at her father's home.

She told us she had no idea anything had happened until she came across photos of the flames and our social media coverage of the fire on Facebook.

Jones said her father, Richard Brown, and his caregiver were asleep inside the mobile home when the fire started.

Her father, who uses a wheelchair, was able to escape the burning home but suffered a broken hip during the evacuation, according to Jones. She said his caregiver also lost one of her cats in the fire.

CAL FIRE Captain John Clingingsmith said firefighters responded quickly and were able to stop the flames from spreading further, but the fire destroyed the home before crews could save it.

When our crew arrived at the scene, the property's manager denied us access to the mobile home park. The video and photos included in our coverage were provided by viewers and residents who witnessed firefighters battling the blaze.

For Jones, those same images were the first indication of how much her father had lost.

Now, as her father recovers in the hospital, Jones said she is focused on helping him and his caregiver move forward. A disabled veteran herself, she said her financial resources are limited, but she is doing everything she can to support them as they begin the recovery process.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.