A skeleton crew of firefighters battled a fire in Wonder Valley yesterday. Wednesday morning at 9:50 the crew assigned to Medic Brush Patrol 45 in Wonder Valley received a call for a structure fire a few miles east of their station and firefighters could see heavy smoke coming from the 87000 block of Amboy Road.
On arrival they found a 3,000-square foot single family dwelling with heavy smoke coming from the attic vents and the interior of the structure. The two firefighters began an exterior attack on the fire while waiting for resources from the Combat Center, Twentynine Palms Fire department and a chief officer from Joshua Tree to arrive with water and personnel. The lone occupant of the house had left a few minutes earlier to attend to a neighbor’s pet and returned to find his home ablaze. Firefighters were successful in the attack on the fire and were able to limit the structural and content losses to about $40,000 to $50,000. County fire officials say only eight firefighters battled the blaze, as many other emergency calls for service were occupying Morongo Basin resources. They commend firefighters from the Wonder Valley station for working very hard to reduce losses due to fire in such a remote area and long awaiting assistance. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
