Vacant DHS motel goes up in flames

A vacant motel was damaged by fire in Desert Hot Springs today, a county fire department spokeswoman said.

The fire was reported around 7:15 a.m. at a motel in the 67200 block of Pierson Boulevard. Firefighters stopped the spread of the blaze shortly before 8:30 a.m., and no injuries were reported, said Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Melody Hendrickson.

Crews expected to remain at the scene for three hours, she said. The cause of the fire was under investigation.