A vegetation fire in Morongo Valley was sparked by a car that had just come out of the Morongo Grade Thursday evening. According to Morongo Valley Fire Engineer Mark Murphy, the male driver of a 1993 Buick noticed the car had started smoking and pulled way over on to the shoulder near Hess Boulevard about 6 p.m. The car fire started nearby vegetation on fire. The car was fully involved with flames when firefighters from Morongo Valley, CalFire Riverside, and CalFire Yucca Valley arrived. The fire quickly spread due to the wind, but firefighters were able to contain it to a 50-foot-by-50-foot area before putting it out.
