Smelling smoke in the air? A tamarisk tree fire in Indio expected to burn for several days
Update 11/16/21
12:30 p.m.
The fire area burned is approximately 1000 feet X 30 feet of tamarisk trees and timber slash/debris, reads a tweet by Cal Fire Tuesday afternoon.
The fire will continue smoldering for the next few days. Drift smoke may be visible from the fire area.
Cal Fire officials advise residents to stay inside if they can.
That smoke you see and smell across the valley will likely last for the next few days.
Some of the burned tamarisk trees became a hazard and had to be cut down. Cal Fire officials said when a tamarisk catches fire, it's not that easy to put out.
"The heat is seated within the sand and the material itself and we're just going to have to break that up. And like I said, hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to just turn this up and get this fully extinguished," said Brian White, a division chief with Cal Fire Riverside. "We're going to be mopping this up for several days waiting on some heavy equipment so we can start breaking these piles up, and we can get to the seed of where the fire is at and extinguish it."
Good thing we have masks handy! This tamarisk tree fire in Indio is causing smoke to hang heavy over the entire Coachella Valley. A lot of coughing and red eyes around.
— Angela Chen KESQ (@AngelaWChen) November 16, 2021
Fire officials say fire expected to last 3-5 days more; trees are dense and minimal water resources. pic.twitter.com/KKyLNMIOPy
Indio resident Bari Schireson noticed the smokey smell when she left her house today.
"It smells like somebody just burned up garbage. You know, it's just a foul, fiery smell," said Schireson. "I hope it's out soon so we can have better air."
Original Report 11/15/21
Firefighters are working to fully contain a fire that engulfed several tamarisk trees in the city of Indio Monday evening.
The fire was first reported at approximately 6:12 p.m. near the area of Avenue 42 and Clinton Street. Several viewers called the newsroom reporting a large flame around the area.
Brian White, a division chief with Cal Fire Riverside said the fire is expected to burn for several days, possibly three to five, as it is very deep-seated and water is limited.
Battalion Chief with Cal Fire Riverside, Jorge Segura, said one of the main reasons the burn will last for multiple days is because tamarisk trees burn very hot and are dense.
"So there's a bunch of dead trees and some really big diameter trees, maybe about up to 46 inches in diameter. And there's a lot of tree slashed in there. It's up to about eight to 12 feet deep in trees slash and it's just hard to access," said Segura. "These are pretty hardy trees, they do really well out here in the desert. So their water table is really high. So they're pretty hardy and once they catch fire- it's a challenge to put them out. "
#VarnerFIRE VIDEO UPDATE: pic.twitter.com/OCouM0QBIV
— CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) November 16, 2021
As of 10:00 p. m., the fire was 800 feet long burning in some deep-seated tamarisk and slash. Cal Fire said it won't expand any further and is contained.
Vegetation Fire in Indio RPT @ 6:12 PM - Ave 42 x Clinton St - Firefighters are on scene of a large fire involving multiple tamarisk trees. Resources will have an extended commitment time. #VarnerFIRE pic.twitter.com/mk5DB0STvs
— CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) November 16, 2021
We are working to gather more information on a possible cause.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates.
