How fire crews cope with the desert heat throughout the summer

High temperatures don't come as a surprise to fire crews throughout the desert.

Cal Fire Riverside was battling a fire west of Whitewater Sunday afternoon, you can read the full story here.

Battalion Chief, Cody Wright, shares how his department battles the flames on days that are especially hot.

"We request a lot of engines. We actually had a lot more engines incoming, but once we caught the fire I canceled those engines incoming. So we can rotate our crews through," says Wright.

Wright also shared other adjustments the department makes while working in temperatures above a hundred degrees.

"When it's definitely hot like this, we do medical monitoring. We'll check all their vital signs to make sure they're good to go. We'll place them at a rotation, so we'll have them work about 30 minutes and then take a little break, get some water and then get them back in the game," Wright shares.

A total of 8 engines and 24 firefighters worked on the Whitewater fire in the Banning pass.

The fire burned about a quarter acre and is fully contained.

There were no reported injuries, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.