Flames in the valley have Palm Springs residents on edge
Flames continue to flare up in spots on the valley side of the mountains near South Palm Springs, leaving many people worried.
Cal Fire officials say they don’t expect flames to reach the valley floor, but there are 10 Type 3 wild land engines on stand by in the Indian Canyon area, just in case.
For many living in Palm Springs, the Mountain Fire turned much more serious Monday night when the flames briefly became visible.
Esfandiar Nasr walks his dog in along a wash in Palm Springs almost every night. He tells us, “For a minute it opened up and you could see these giant flames and it was coming down with a red moon and it was kind of ominous you know. But from what I hear if it’s coming down they can stop it but right now seeing those flames in Andreas Canyon, that’s kind of wild.”
Calfire also has a recon helicopter on patrol above the valley that can monitor the fires movement. Even with the crews on stand by, many residents are still concerned.
Michael Lindwall headed to the Indian Canyon area after work to see where the flames were. “We went by the banning fires earlier this year, this fires too close to home and it’s pretty scary. So wanted to get a closer perspective on it.”
Respiratory problems continue to worry residents, as does the mess created by the smoke and ash. Shifting winds are creating heavy ash falls at times.
Nasr says, “We saw big pieces of full leaf, you know intact oak leaves that landed, I mean it was pretty wild. They were burned but you know they were still there.”
Officials don’t believe the flames could easily spread to the valley floor thanks to the much more sparse vegetation, a big difference from the dense brush and towering trees over the hill.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Lindwall continues, “I know theres a lot of other communities, smaller communities, you know evacuations mandatory, pretty scary. I realize the banning fire and a lot of other fires in the pass area were started by an arsonist and I’m hoping that this isn’t. I mean, it’d be awful.”
The Indian Canyon area has been closed to the public, so South Palm Canyon South of Acanto Drive is temporarily closed.
