Firefighters worked Monday morning to put out flames in a 5,000-square-foot area of tamarisk trees in Desert Hot Springs.
The fire was reported at about 12:30 a.m. in a 100-foot by 50-foot area of trees in the 19300 block of Palm Drive, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Firefighters expected to work several hours to put out the flames and hot spots, officials said.
Tamarisk is an invasive shrub or small tree that favors sites with high salinity or low water availability.