A fire broke out on a train container carrying hazardous materials in Palm Desert Friday, causing two people to be hospitalized with critical burn injuries.
The Riverside County Fire Department responded to the scene of the blaze at 12:33 p.m. near Dinah Shore Drive and Pacific Avenue and found a container on a train that had caught fire, and two victims who required transportation to a nearby hospital for treatment of critical burns.
The container housed hazardous materials including 25 pounds of lithium batteries, consumer drills, cellphones, 28 standard car batteries and 11 airbag-deploy gas cylinders, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Fire fighters were able to enter the container and dose the flames at approximately 4:45 p.m. and were in the process of clearing the scene with no indication as to how long resources would remain to be committed, the Riverside County Fire Department reported.
The fire prompted closure of eastbound Interstate 10 between Cook Street and Monterey Avenue, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.