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A Murrieta community Monday grappled with grief after two girls were killed in a mobile home fire.
The fire was reported on Knight Drive near Adams Avenue on Saturday, Dec. 20 during the early morning hours. When firefighters arrived at around 4:42 a.m., the mobile home, a carport, three cars and two outbuildings were fully engulfed in flames, the Murrieta Fire Department said.
“”We had fire coming out of every window and every door, so the inside of the structure was already completely on fire,” Fire Chief Bernard Molloy described what his crews witnessed when they arrived at the scene.
Molloy said the fire was fast moving and intense, burning the mobile home as well as other cars at once.
While city officials did not officially confirm the names of the two deceased girls, there were signs that read, “Rest in peace, Abby and Emma. We will miss you guys so much,” outside their home.
Fire officials said three of the family members were accounted for and taken to a local hospital.
Multiple household pets were also killed in the fire, according to the fire department.
A witness and neighbor described the horror from the Saturday night to NBC Los Angeles, saying the flames were “out of control.”
“I ran out. I looked in between the condos, and I could see the flame and the embers reaching straight up,” Carlos Gonzalez said, saying one of the victims is 11 years old.
Gonzalez added the close-knit community grieves with the family as the deceased girls would play with other children in the neighborhood.
“It’s heartbreaking. They are so young. They were just babies. It hit close to home, having a kid the same age that went to school with them,” Gonzalez said.
On Monday, neighbors and community members, including Pat Dunnagan, continued to drop off fresh flowers and candles for the girls.
“It’s just just a chance to reflect and ask myself what’s really important, with all the stuff going on in the world and all the hate that’s ever spewing,” Dunnagan said. “And then to have somebody so close to you that’s lost their lives and obviously at home … (The family) is getting a lot of support.”
The fire chief also said the incident weighed heavily on every firefighter who helped put out the flames as they have young children at home.
“We have a job to do, but it does have real human impacts on our firefighters who are there working and doing the work,” Chief Molloy said.
The mayor of Murrieta also released a statement, offering his condolences for the girls’ family.
“On behalf of the entire Murrieta community, the city extends its sympathy to the local family that tragically lost two children in the residential structure fire that occurred on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, and all their friends and loved ones,” Mayor Jon Levell said. “It’s been tremendous to see the outpouring of community support for the family in their time of need.”
The fire department said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Helen Jeong
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