A brush fire that charred about 16 acres and injured two firefighters in Palm Springs was fully contained Tuesday.
The blaze started about 11 a.m. Monday some two miles south of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway off Tramway Road.
As of Tuesday morning, the fire was contained and held to 15.8 acres, and Tramway Road was reopened, according to Palm Springs Fire Department. Capt. Nathan Gunkel.
“We got lucky on that one,” Gunkel said. “It could have been really bad. Luckily the wind switched directions.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
When firefighters arrived, the flames had already devoured 10 acres of vegetation, fueled by heavy winds. About 75 firefighters helped battle the flames, including crews from the Riverside County Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, along with two air tankers and two helicopters which provided air support.
No evacuations were ordered, although the wind-driven blaze was headed in the direction of Palm Canyon Drive and nearby populated segments of the city before firefighters gained the upper hand.
One firefighter suffered a non-life-threatening injury and another experienced heat exhaustion, Gunkel said. Both were transported to area hospitals for treatment.