CATHEDRAL CITY, CA — A 46-year-old Cathedral City man was positively identified as one of three victims killed in a weekend fire at the city’s former Elks Lodge.
Philip Pape was positively identified, and next of kin has been notified, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau. The Cathedral City Police Department is investigating what led to the blaze where Pape’s body was recovered, in the 67000 block of E. Palm Canyon Drive on Saturday.
In addition to Pape, the bodies of a woman and man, found after the blaze was extinguished, have yet to be identified, according to the coroner’s bureau.
According to Cathedral City police Sgt. Jose Nunez, the fire was reported at 7:05 a.m. Saturday near the Canyon Plaza Shopping Center. Arriving officers found the structure engulfed in flames, Nunez said.
“As officers moved around the building, they could hear people inside,” he said. “Officers attempted to enter the building, but due to the heavy smoke and flames, were unable to enter the building.”
Cathedral City firefighters arrived and entered the building. They located and removed two people and provided emergency medical aid.
“One subject was transported to Eisenhower Medical Center in critical condition,” Nunez said. “The other subject succumbed to his injuries on scene.”
Firefighters searched the building again after the flames were out and made a grim discovery.
“Two additional subjects were located inside the building, deceased.” The names of the deceased were not immediately released.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. A listing on Zillow indicated the nearly 18,000-square-foot building was up for sale, listed at more than $3.5 million.
Read also:
3 Dead, 1 Critically Injured In Coachella Valley Fire
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