Morongo Valley firefighters assisted Riverside County firefighters and CalFire in battling a 30-acre blaze alongside Highway 62 Wednesday afternoon that closed down one lane of the highway for hours. About 2:25 p.m., a fire started on the east side of the highway, about a mile south of North Indian Canyon Road. CalTrans closed down the number 2 lane of the highway going northbound as firefighters worked for five hours to douse the flames. The closed lane added to traffic woes for thousands of drivers who were forced to detour through the Morongo Basin due to the closure of I-15 in the Cajon Pass because of the Blue Cut Fire.
