A 35-acre wind-whipped brush fire broke out Tuesday on the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians reservation near Mecca.
The blaze, which was 5% contained as of 1 p.m., was reported about 4:40 a.m. in the area of Pierce Street and Avenue 73, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Responding firefighters encountered a two-acre fire burning in an old fish pond, and the flames subsequently spread to a “landscape debris refuse yard.”
A total of 50 firefighters were on scene fighting the flames amid high winds. The California Highway Patrol reported the blaze was heading east toward state Route 86.
No injuries or structural damage had been reported as of noon.
Pierce Street was closed in both directions between Avenue 72 and Avenue 73.