RESIDENT LEFT HOMELESS AFTER NORTH JOSHUA TREE FIRE

A North Joshua Tree woman is homeless after a fire destroyed her home Wednesday morning. County Fire Battalion Chief Scott Tuttle said firefighters from Joshua Tree, Yucca Mesa, and Twentynine Palms—who were called at 10:46 to the fire in the 66400 block of Giant Rock Road—arrived to find the home fully involved in flames. Thick black smoke could be seen for miles. Tuttle said firefighters had the blaze knocked down in about 40 minutes. He added that a female resident was at home at the time of the fire but was not injured. The cause and origin of the fire are still under investigation.