A Twentynine Palms home was destroyed by a fire early Sunday morning, and a neighboring structure also suffered damage. County Fire Battalion Chief Bob Evans said firefighters were called to the blaze in the 6400 block of Cholla Avenue at 12:48 a.m. where they found a single-family house well involved with fire. Twentynine Palms firefighters began a defensive attack while waiting for crews from the Combat Center, Joshua Tree, and Yucca Valley. Neighbors reported hearing an explosion. Meanwhile, a false alarm call 10 minutes later about a fire in the 6600 block of National Park Drive in Twentynine Palms was an issue, as one crew had to be pulled off the fire and sent to check out the call. Once crews were all on scene of the Cholla Avenue fire, firefighters transitioned to an interior attack of the fire. Strong winds made fighting the fire challenging, and flames spread to the attic of a neighboring house. No one was at home in the original house; the occupant of the neighboring house was able to get out safely with the help of the Sheriff’s Department. The fire was knocked down in about 30 minutes, but it took more than two hours to mop up the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Rebecca Havely photo
