Fire departments from throughout the Imperial and Yuma valleys rushed to Winterhaven to help fight a three-alarm fire that consumed cars, trailers and brush Saturday afternoon.
No injuries were reported from the three-alarm fire that started about 4 p.m. Saturday at a wrecking yard in the 2200 block of Winterhaven Drive, said Winterhaven Fire Chief Steve Taylor.
The fire started in a shed next to the wrecking yard where an employee was staying. It spread to vehicles in the wrecking yard and a half-acre of brush in the area. It also affected a shed with ammunition in it, and there were some explosions going off.
Engines from Winterhaven, Yuma, Rural Metro and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma responded as did engines from Brawley, El Centro, Calexico, Holtville, Naval Air Facility El Centro and Imperial County fire departments.
The Imperial County fire station sent one engine about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, said county fire Capt. Jesus Guzman. By the time local firefighters got to the scene two sheds had burned down, and firefighters worked to control the fire.
“Nothing really burned other than those two sheds and the brush,” he said. “By the time we got there, it was under control. We just did a little mop-up and control.”
The Imperial County engine left Winterhaven about 7:20 p.m.
The extra forces were called out “just so we could get it knocked down and keep it from spreading to the other vehicles in the wrecking area, and the other houses in the area,” Taylor said.
While the winds weren’t as bad as Friday, they did cause some problems for the fire departments, as they pushed the fire into some of the vehicles in the area, he said.
The full extent of the damage hasn’t been assessed yet, he said. Taylor added he will be going out today to assess the rest of the damage.
Fire in the area will still be smoldering for the next couple of days, and there are going to be some air quality issues, too, Taylor said.
Accident backs up traffic on Highway 111
Three cars were involved in an accident on Highway 111 north of Calexico that backed up traffic for about a mile Saturday afternoon.
The cars collided about 3 p.m. Saturday just south of Jasper Road, according to the California Highway Patrol traffic incident Web site. It took about an hour for the intersection to be fully cleared.
Holtville woman asks for calls to stop
A woman in Holtville asked the Sheriff’s Office to make the calls stop from a woman accusing her of sleeping with her husband.
The woman who kept receiving calls is not only from out of state and doesn’t know anyone in the area, but she’s also more than 80 years old, according to Sheriff’s Office logs. The call came in about 8:45 a.m. Saturday.
Suspected solar panel thief unable to be located
A person in the Slabs suspected a man was trying to steal their solar panels Friday night.
The person reported to the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office that a man had stumbled into their yard, saying he was looking for firewood and got lost, according to sheriff’s logs. However, the reporting party said they thought the man was trying to steal the solar panels.
Sheriff’s Office officials weren’t able to locate the would-be thief.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
No injuries were reported from the three-alarm fire that started about 4 p.m. Saturday at a wrecking yard in the 2200 block of Winterhaven Drive, said Winterhaven Fire Chief Steve Taylor.
The fire started in a shed next to the wrecking yard where an employee was staying. It spread to vehicles in the wrecking yard and a half-acre of brush in the area. It also affected a shed with ammunition in it, and there were some explosions going off.
Engines from Winterhaven, Yuma, Rural Metro and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma responded as did engines from Brawley, El Centro, Calexico, Holtville, Naval Air Facility El Centro and Imperial County fire departments.
The Imperial County fire station sent one engine about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, said county fire Capt. Jesus Guzman. By the time local firefighters got to the scene two sheds had burned down, and firefighters worked to control the fire.
“Nothing really burned other than those two sheds and the brush,” he said. “By the time we got there, it was under control. We just did a little mop-up and control.”
The Imperial County engine left Winterhaven about 7:20 p.m.
The extra forces were called out “just so we could get it knocked down and keep it from spreading to the other vehicles in the wrecking area, and the other houses in the area,” Taylor said.
While the winds weren’t as bad as Friday, they did cause some problems for the fire departments, as they pushed the fire into some of the vehicles in the area, he said.
The full extent of the damage hasn’t been assessed yet, he said. Taylor added he will be going out today to assess the rest of the damage.
Fire in the area will still be smoldering for the next couple of days, and there are going to be some air quality issues, too, Taylor said.
Accident backs up traffic on Highway 111
Three cars were involved in an accident on Highway 111 north of Calexico that backed up traffic for about a mile Saturday afternoon.
The cars collided about 3 p.m. Saturday just south of Jasper Road, according to the California Highway Patrol traffic incident Web site. It took about an hour for the intersection to be fully cleared.
Holtville woman asks for calls to stop
A woman in Holtville asked the Sheriff’s Office to make the calls stop from a woman accusing her of sleeping with her husband.
The woman who kept receiving calls is not only from out of state and doesn’t know anyone in the area, but she’s also more than 80 years old, according to Sheriff’s Office logs. The call came in about 8:45 a.m. Saturday.
Suspected solar panel thief unable to be located
A person in the Slabs suspected a man was trying to steal their solar panels Friday night.
The person reported to the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office that a man had stumbled into their yard, saying he was looking for firewood and got lost, according to sheriff’s logs. However, the reporting party said they thought the man was trying to steal the solar panels.
Sheriff’s Office officials weren’t able to locate the would-be thief.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
