FIRE!!!

I was on Facebook yesterday when the first reports of a fire near Anza appeared.  Soon Facebook was buzzing with updates.  I even heard fire trucks leaving Palm Desert and going up Highway 74 to the site of the fire.  I immediately called my friend Barb, who lives in Pinyon, because one report said the fire was 3 miles east of 371 and highway 74.  She hadn't even heard about it and took off to see where it was.  Fortunately, it is moving away from Pinyon.  She called me back with an update about an hour later and was comfortable enough to drive down to Palm Desert, to COSTCO!

Apparently a motorhome caught on fire on the Indian reservation land, and vegetation near the highway caught on fire.  It quickly spread, due to winds, and it is now 500 acres.  3 firefighters have been injured so far.  There are water tankers, helicopters, and many crews working on the ground.  The Paradise Cafe is the headquarters for the firefighting efforts.

Here are some photos from the news coverage.  I CANNOT drive up there as Highway 74 is closed at the base of the Santa Rosa mountains and is ONLY open to residents.

Here's the news story:    http://www.kesq.com/news/wildfire-east-of-anza-sending-smoke-into-the-coachella-valley/34638322

Photos from The Desert Sun

9:32 a.m. latest update:   http://idyllwildtowncrier.com/2015/08/11/motor-home-causes-vegetation-fire/