One child has died and another is in serious condition following a house fire in Joshua Tree Thursday morning. Fire crews were called to the 62300 block of Crestview Drive at 11:56 a.m. with a report that two children–a 7-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl–were trapped inside the home. County Fire Assistant Chief Scott Tuttle said the victims, which included two women–33 years old and 67 years old–who were in the house when the fire broke out, were taken to Hi-Desert Medical Center. From the hospital, helicopters transferred the pediatric patients to other area hospitals for further care, where the boy died. The house was a total loss as fire crews battled the fire for about 90 minutes. Z107.7 reporter Cassidy Taylor was on the scene…
A pillar of black smoke could be seen from Highway 62 as a Joshua Tree home caught fire yesterday. With the entire block filled with emergency crews, two children were rescued from the flames as fire crews battled an attached garage engulfed in flames. The entire house was filled with smoke when frantic family members rushed on scene, desperately searching for their loved ones. Helicopters overhead could be seen traveling to Hi-Desert Medical Center to transfer the pediatric patients for further care. Worried witnesses and neighbors watched crews battle the fire for over an hour, while sharing deep concern for the individuals in the home when the fire broke out. Once the fire was under control, more family members arrived to rescue the family’s dog from the backyard. With the garage collapsed and the entire structure filled with thick black soot, the home is a total loss.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
