Firefighters from Yucca Mesa, Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, and a water tender from Lucerne Valley were able to save a Johnson Valley home from being a total loss, although the detached garage burned to the ground Monday morning. County Fire Captain Trent Blanchard said that firefighters were called to the 50500 block of Joshua Tree Road about 10:33 a.m., and it took firefighters about 20 minutes to arrive on scene. By that time, the metal garage was fully involved in flames, and gas cylinders inside the garage added fuel to the fire. The winds blew the flames to the nearby 1,100-square foot house, and 25 to 30 percent of the home was also burning when firefighters arrived. While the burned portion of the home burned to the ground, firefighters saved about half of the home. Firefighters were at the scene until about 2 p.m. Due to the extent of the damage, the cause of the fire is undetermined.
