One person was arrested after an illegal cooking fire led to a vegetation fire in Joshua Tree Thursday afternoon. County Fire Battalion Chief Mike McClintock said that firefighters from Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms, and Yucca Valley, as well as Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service firefighters, responded to the blaze in the 6200 block of Juniper Avenue at 12:17 p.m.
Firefighters were able to contain the fire from spreading to nearby residences. During the investigation, it was discovered Michael Leonard, 65, a transient living in the desert, had ignited the brushfire while starting a campfire. The fire burned about two acres of land and caused damage to approximately 10-15 Joshua Trees in the area. Michael Leonard was arrested for investigation of the unlawful setting of a fire and booked into the Morongo Basin Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail. McClintock said, “Just one spark can get our grass going out here with the wind and dryness of the grass.” He added that the dried vegetation was too close to the flames, which led to the fire spreading.
Then at 1:30 p.m., firefighters were called to another vegetation fire in the 63600 block of Walpi Drive in Joshua Tree, also caused by an illegal burn. McClintock said embers from unattended camp fire from Wednesday night caught fire and burned about a 50- by 10-foot area of grass behind the home. Firefighters had the blaze knocked down and under control quickly. McClintock reminds residents and visitors that all open flame fires are prohibited until further notice.
