Overnight fire guts downtown Palm Springs building

A historic building along Palm Canyon Drive — built in 1936 — is history after an overnight fire swept through it, prompting a large response from the Palm Springs Fire Department.

Crews arrived at the two-story commercial building, located at the corner of Andreas Road and Palm Canyon Drive, at 12:37 a.m., said Battalion Chief Jim Webb.

Soon, seven more fire units from Cathedral City and Riverside County were called in to re-enforce Palm Springs crews as they tackled the fire, which sent flames high into the night sky.

It took the 36 firefighters 45 minutes to put the fire out, Webb said. Palm Canyon Drive between Amado Road and Tahquitz Canyon Drive was shut down to traffic.

Firefighters were mopping up hot spots for most of Wednesday morning, and police reopened roadway around 6:45 a.m.

There were no tenants occupying the building at the time of the fire, according to Webb. No one was injured, and fire investigators are now trying to determine what caused the fire.