Crews contain brush fire near tracks
Cause of blaze in Winterhaven investigated
Firefighters from the Imperial County Fire Department knocked down a small brush fire, with the assistance of other agencies, that broke out late Thursday morning near the railroad tracks near the intersection of Pichacho Road and Quechan Road in Winterhaven.
According to Capt. Justin Sanchez, the fire, which was just east of the intersection, was reported at approximately 11:15 a.m., and burned an estimated three to four acres before it was fully contained. There was one structure nearby on Quechan Hill, that was thought to be an old
church, but it was not damaged.
“The closest the fire ever got to it was about 50 to 100 feet,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said the fire initially started on the south side of the railroad tracks as a small salt cedar fire. High winds, however, blew embers into some heavy vegetation on the north side of the tracks, which caused the fire to spread.
Due to the size of the fire, the Imperial County Fire Department requested assistance from the Holtville Fire Department, the El Centro Fire Department, the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Sanchez said Imperial County and BIA firefighters would remain on scene for the remainder of the day and through the night to put out any hot spots while the fire continued to burn itself out.
The cause of the fire is currently undetermined.