Helicopters continue work on Palm Desert wildfire

A wildfire in a Palm Desert-area canyon was 15percent contained and holding at three or four acres today, a U.S. ForestService spokesman said.

A Forest Service employee reported the fire about two miles west ofHighway 74 in the Cat Creek drainage area in the Santa Rosa and San JacintoMountains National Monument about 10:20 a.m. Tuesday, according to John Millerof the Forest Service.

Crews from the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service andRiverside County Fire Department were sent to the scene. Four crews were hikingto the fire today, Forest Service spokesman Lee Beyer said.

Beyer said the fire was burning at the bottom of a canyon, more than amile from structures. He said one helicopter would make water drops and anotherwould transport firefighters to the blaze.

He didn’t have a full containment estimate.

“We’re going to try to work it as hard as we can today and hopefullyhave it contained,” he said. “… It’s along a canyon so it takes long timeto get around it.”