Arson suspect arrested after fire destroyed four Palm Desert businesses identified

Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·1 min read
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A building in the Plaza De Monterey Shopping Center was destroyed by fire in the early morning of April 15 in Palm Desert. Four local businesses, including Papa Dan's Pizza & Pasta, D’ Coffee Bouteaque, Reverse Mortgage Works and Miracle-Ear Hearing Aid Center, were destroyed.
A building in the Plaza De Monterey Shopping Center was destroyed by fire in the early morning of April 15 in Palm Desert. Four local businesses, including Papa Dan's Pizza & Pasta, D’ Coffee Bouteaque, Reverse Mortgage Works and Miracle-Ear Hearing Aid Center, were destroyed.

A 30-year-old woman was arrested and is facing charges for allegedly causing a fire in Palm Desert that destroyed four businesses Sunday morning.

The businesses, including Papa Dan's Pizza & Pasta, D’ Coffee Bouteaque, Reverse Mortgage Works and Miracle-Ear Hearing Aid Center, were part of a strip mall that was completely destroyed by the spreading fire, which was first reported at 3:43 a.m. Sunday in the 73-000 block of Country Club Drive.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department responded to the incident and detained one suspect: Natalie Marie Radu, a 30-year-old woman. She was later arrested after Cal Fire officials investigated the fire’s origin and determined that it was “recklessly caused,” according to a Tuesday release from the department.

A building in the Plaza De Monterey Shopping Center was destroyed by fire in the early morning of April 15 in Palm Desert. Four local businesses, including Papa Dan's Pizza & Pasta, D’ Coffee Bouteaque, Reverse Mortgage Works and Miracle-Ear Hearing Aid Center, were destroyed.
A building in the Plaza De Monterey Shopping Center was destroyed by fire in the early morning of April 15 in Palm Desert. Four local businesses, including Papa Dan's Pizza & Pasta, D’ Coffee Bouteaque, Reverse Mortgage Works and Miracle-Ear Hearing Aid Center, were destroyed.

Radu was charged with two felonies, including recklessly causing a fire to a structure, along with three misdemeanors, and was being held at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on $100,000 bail, with a court hearing scheduled for this week.

The Sunday fire also caused six homes near the strip mall, located on Sagewood Drive and Silktree Court, to be temporarily evacuated, but the residents were able to return home safely after the fire was extinguished, according to Cal Fire.

A building in the Plaza De Monterey Shopping Center was destroyed by fire in the early morning of April 15 in Palm Desert. Four local businesses, including Papa Dan's Pizza & Pasta, D’ Coffee Bouteaque, Reverse Mortgage Works and Miracle-Ear Hearing Aid Center, were destroyed.
A building in the Plaza De Monterey Shopping Center was destroyed by fire in the early morning of April 15 in Palm Desert. Four local businesses, including Papa Dan's Pizza & Pasta, D’ Coffee Bouteaque, Reverse Mortgage Works and Miracle-Ear Hearing Aid Center, were destroyed.

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Suspect arrested in fire that destroyed four Palm Desert businesses