Monday afternoon (5/16) at 2:20 County Fire crews were dispatched to a reported commercial structure fire at an apartment complex in the 62000 block of Verbena in Joshua Tree, 911 callers reported an apartment was on fire. Arriving Firefighters found a single apartment well involved in flames. Crews worked to keep the fire from spreading to adjacent apartment units. While they were completing the fire attack, they found one female smoke inhalation victim, Morongo Basin Ambulance was requested to assist. Firefighters were successful in knocking the fire down within 10 minutes, keeping the fire to one apartment unit. The smoke inhalation victim was taken to Hi Desert Medical Center and then flown by Mercy Air to a trauma center. The fire’s cause was found to be an unattended candle. Three cats were also found in the apartment, they were uninjured. Two residents were displaced by the fire.
