Hemet Fire Chief William Dahlquist was supposed...

Hemet Fire Chief William Dahlquist was supposed to be at a local restaurant to be installed as the new president of the Riverside County Fire Chief’s Assn., but he never arrived. Instead, the chief directed other firefighters from Hemet and neighboring areas in battling the most serious blaze in the city’s history, which destroyed a two-story McMahan’s furniture store in the downtown area. The damages are expected to exceed $1 million, including $900,000 in structural loss, authorities said. Electric power and telephone service in parts of the downtown area were interrupted by the fire. Cause of the blaze was under investigation.