New court records outline what prosecutors say happened before a blaze killed two sisters in December.
MURRIETA, Calif. — Court records in a Riverside County fire case lay out a stark accusation: that two Murrieta parents were under the influence of drugs and ignored known safety dangers before a blaze killed their daughters in a mobile home fire last December.
The new details matter because they shift the story from a tragic fire to a criminal prosecution built on alleged warning signs. Prosecutors say Stacey Hales and Adam Keenan should have known the danger inside and around the home before the early morning blaze erupted, leaving two girls dead and leading to felony charges filed months later.
The fire happened before sunrise on Dec. 20, 2025, at a mobile home on Knight Drive in Murrieta. According to the Murrieta Police Department, officers and Murrieta Fire & Rescue crews reached the property at about 4:42 a.m. and found flames already racing through more than the residence itself. The fire had spread to a carport, three vehicles, two outbuildings and a large pine tree. Firefighters worked for roughly 45 minutes before the scene was safe enough to search. That is when responders found the bodies of 12-year-old Emma Keenan and 11-year-old Abby Keenan, along with multiple household pets. Officials said Keenan and an older daughter escaped from inside, while Hales got out on her own.
For weeks, the public account centered on the destruction and the loss. In March, police said a joint investigation by detectives and arson investigators found probable cause to believe both parents were criminally responsible. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office moved forward with felony charges. Hales, 46, was accused of reckless burning causing death, reckless burning of an inhabited structure, child endangerment, animal cruelty and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Keenan, 43, was charged with child endangerment and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Police said Keenan was arrested March 13 and booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center, while Hales was out of custody on $160,000 bail.
What gave the case new force were the allegations in court documents reviewed by CBS Los Angeles. Prosecutors say both adults were under the influence of methamphetamine and cannabis when the fire started at around 4:45 a.m. They allege Hales had a repeated history of causing fires while cooking with oil and had been warned about it before. According to those records, she was cooking tortilla chips with oil on a propane stove placed outside, under a wooden carport and near materials that could easily burn. Investigators say she did not turn off the propane before falling asleep. One warrant says the act showed conscious disregard for human life.
The documents also describe hazards inside the home that prosecutors say increased the danger once flames spread. They allege both parents knew there were no working smoke detectors. The records further say the front door was blocked by stacked dog crates and stored items, limiting a clear escape route while the rear of the structure burned. Prosecutors say Keenan knew about Hales’ past cooking incidents and took no steps to stop the continued use of the outdoor propane stove. Those claims will likely be central as the case moves through court, because they speak to foreseeability, neglect and whether the adults failed to protect children inside the home.
Officials have not suggested the criminal case is finished developing. Police have said the broader investigation remains active, and formal court proceedings are still at an early stage. Local coverage said Keenan was expected to make a court appearance Tuesday after his arrest, while Hales was awaiting her own appearance. For now, the public record shows a case built on the timeline of the fire, the scene investigators found, and prosecutors’ claim that repeated unsafe conduct turned a pre-dawn cooking fire into a fatal disaster.
The next major step is in court, where prosecutors will begin testing those allegations against the evidence gathered since the deadly fire that shattered one Murrieta family just days before Christmas.
Author note: Last updated March 17, 2026.