A vehicle traveling eastbound on Highway 62 up the Morongo Grade caught fire Monday morning (August 16). According to Morongo Valley Firefighter Paramedic Nate Garcia, fire crews responded to the vehicle and vegetation fire burning in the eastbound lane of Highway 62 in the Riverside County stretch of the Morongo Grade. Morongo Valley Fire aided crews from Riverside County in extinguishing the fire. Fire crews were able to extinguish the vehicle fire and limit the burned brush area to an approximate 5’x10’ area. The vehicle was a total loss, however there were no injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Tag Archives: vehicle fire
CAR FIRE ON YUCCA GRADE WEDNESDAY
Morongo Valley firefighters responded to a vehicle fire on the Yucca Grade Wednesday. According to Morongo Valley Firefighter / Paramedic Nate Garcia, crews responded to the intersection of Highway 62 and Yucca Park across from the Rod and Gun Club shooting range where they found the vehicle well involved in flames, bystanders attempting to extinguish the fire using water bottles and sand. Fire crews cleared the area and had the fire extinguished in around 5 minutes. The fire is believed at this time to have been caused by a wiring issue combined with high area temperatures. The male driver of the vehicle was not injured.
CAR FIRE ON YUCCA GRADE WEDNESDAY
Morongo Valley firefighters responded to a vehicle fire on the Yucca Grade Wednesday. According to Morongo Valley Firefighter / Paramedic Nate Garcia, crews responded to the intersection of Highway 62 and Yucca Park across from the Rod and Gun Club shooting range where they found the vehicle well involved in flames, bystanders attempting to extinguish the fire using water bottles and sand. Fire crews cleared the area and had the fire extinguished in around 5 minutes. The fire is believed at this time to have been caused by a wiring issue combined with high area temperatures. The male driver of the vehicle was not injured.
REPORTER THERE AS CAR FIRE BLOCKS THE YUCCA GRADE SATURDAY
A car fire briefly blocked the eastbound lanes of Highway 62 on the Yucca Grade Saturday afternoon. Our reporter Andrew Dieleman happened to be driving by the scene of the fire as it happened, and files this report…
While driving eastbound on Highway 62 up the Yucca grade, I saw light smoke coming from a red sedan on the right shoulder near the intersection of Scholl Drive. After pulling over and checking on the female driver, who was out of the vehicle, we both confirmed that no one else was in the vehicle. Immediately after calling 911 and reporting the fire, the driver and I ensured we were a safe distance away. The fire spread quickly, engulfing the vehicle in flames less than a minute later. About 4 minutes later, the fire ignited the gas tank, sending a plume of smoke and fire around 50 feet into the air. I remained with the driver until firefighters arrived, blocked traffic, and began extinguishing the fire. The vehicle was a total loss, but thankfully, the driver was uninjured.
BUSY WEEKEND FOR FIREFIGHTERS IN MORONGO VALLEY
Morongo Valley firefighters had a busy weekend. About 9 a.m. Saturday morning, they were called to a vehicle fire at the bottom of the Morongo Grade. The small SUV was fully involved when they arrived, and flames had spread about 15 feet into the vegetation on the access road near Highway 62 and Indian Canyon, but fire crews were able to contain the blaze. The SUV was a total loss and there were no injuries.
Firefighters had a bit of fun with some kids near Covington Park Sunday afternoon. The kids were having a Covid-friendly event when the fire crew arrived for a friendly water fight. The crews arced the fire hose into the air and the kids ran back and forth in the spray.
Then about 5 p.m. Sunday, a customer at the Chevron gas station in Morongo Valley threw a cigarette butt into a trash container, which started a small fire. An employee saw the smoke and grabbed a fire extinguisher and put it out before fire crews arrived.
