Area firefighters responded to two fires called in at the same time Saturday morning. According to County Fire Battalion Chief Mike Snow, at 11:04 a.m., firefighters from Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley, and Yucca Mesa were called to a house fire in the 61900 block of Golden Street in Joshua Tree. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy black smoke and flames visible from the living room area of the home, extending into the patio area, and the homeowner’s 67-year-old son trying unsuccessfully to put out the flames with a garden hose. Fire crews immediately began an aggressive exterior attack on the fire, and had the fire under control in about 15 minutes. The home’s main living area received extensive damage, with a fire loss estimated at more than $100,000.
While at the scene, county fire paramedics learned that the homeowner’s son suffered burns and smoke inhalation from his efforts to put out the flames. The man was resistant to being taken to a hospital for further care and observation, but finally after about 45 minutes Morongo Basin Ambulance took him to Arrowhead Medical Center. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
And in Yucca Valley, firefighters were also called at 11:04 to a possible vegetation fire near Barron Drive and Avalon Avenue. Firefighters from Twentynine Palms, CalFire, and the Combat Center responded and found a single off-road vehicle fully involved in flames. An aggressive attack had the fire quickly put out, but the vehicle is a total loss. The fire had not spread into the surrounding vegetation. Fire crews determined that the owner had recently completed some mechanical repairs on the vehicle, which was a homemade sand rail. While testing the repairs, the vehicle started on fire. The occupants were unharmed.
