A Pine Cove home was destroyed in an overnight fire, and downed power lines in the area led to a temporary road closure, officials reported Thursday.
The fire in the 25000 block of Highway 243 was reported at 11:23 p.m. Wednesday, but no one was inside.
"First arriving engine company reported an unoccupied two-story, 4,000 square foot home fully involved with powerlines down," said Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department
The downed lines forced a closure of Highway 243 near Foster Lake Road, she said. However, it wasn't clear if the lines first came down and sparked the blaze– or if the fire caused the lines to collapse.
"It hasn't been identified as either one causing the other yet," Hagemann told Banning-Beaumont Patch.
Twenty-three firefighters responded to the blaze, and the Riverside County Fire Department was assisted by crews from the Idyllwild Fire Protection District in battling the blaze.
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