BORREGO SPRINGS, California —
(CNS) – An argument between two men in a Borrego Springs mobile home park left both wounded with knife cuts, and one of them suffered severe burns when he apparently knocked over a can of gasoline at his home and ignited the fuel, authorities said Thursday.
San Diego sheriff’s deputies responded to 911 calls about a violent argument between two men at a mobile home park and golf resort at 1010 Palm Canyon Dr. about 4:05 p.m. Wednesday, said San Diego sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Jenkins.
The argument took place between two men, aged 65 and 54, Jenkins said. During the fight, one of them apparently pulled out a small sword, which the two men then fought over. Both men eventually ended up with non-life threatening wounds from their fight over control of the sword.
Deputies and State Park Rangers contacted the 54-year-old man at his mobile home, Jenkins said, adding he appeared to be a victim of an assault. Deputy Alvin Vasquez and the Rangers then went to the home of the 65-year-old assailant.
They confronted the man on his front porch and ordered him to walk toward them, Jenkins said. Instead, the man brandished a knife at the officers and ran inside his home. During his attempt to evade capture, he tipped over a gasoline can, causing the fuel to spread and ignite, engulfing the man and his front porch.
Vasquez tried to enter the home twice but could not reach the man because of the flames, Jenkins said. The injured man did, however, manage to crawl to the front door and Vasquez was able to reach him just as live ammunition inside the home began exploding because of the fire.
Vasquez and the Rangers managed to pull the man behind a patrol vehicle and began to administer first aid, Jenkins said. Some of the other deputies who had arrived at the scene began evacuating nearby residents because of the fire and the exploding ammunition.
The fire was eventually knocked down and the injured man was flown to a hospital for treatment of severe burns. Sheriff’s bomb and arson detectives are handling the investigation, Jenkins said.
