Morongo Basin firefighters not only had to battle two fires Monday afternoon, but strong winds as well. According to County Fire Battalion Chief Bryant O’Hara, the first fire was reported at 2:23 p.m. in the 1300 block of Jack Rabbit Trail in the Desert Heights area of Twentynine Palms. Thick black smoke could be seen for miles. O’Hara said the small house was 50 percent involved with flames by the time firefighters arrived and the winds were a significant factor in fanning the blaze. Firefighters made an aggressive defensive attack to keep the flames from spreading to the nearby vegetation. O’Hara said the house is a total loss, but all the occupants got out safely and there were no injuries.
While firefighters were mopping up the fire at the Jack Rabbit Tail address, a second fire was reported at 3:31 p.m. in Yucca Valley. O’Hara said a wooden fence in front of a home in the 7600 block of Deer Trail caught fire. Because Yucca Valley firefighters—along with firefighters from Twentynine Palms, Wonder Valley, and Joshua Tree—were still at the scene of the Twentynine Palms fire, the Medic Ambulance from Yucca Valley was first on the scene at the Deer Trail fire. O’Hara said the crew helped the residents put out the blaze and kept it from spreading to the house. The fire was out by the time Yucca Valley firefighters arrived. There were no injuries.
