Firefighters Wednesday were contending with high winds while working to encircle a 43-acre brush fire on the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians reservation near Mecca.
The non-injury blaze, which was 50% contained as of Wednesday morning, was reported about 4:40 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Pierce Street and Avenue 73 amid a red flag warning due to high winds and low humidity.
Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman April Newman said 18 firefighters remained on scene with the goal of fully containing the blaze by the end of the day. She said firefighters were working amid high winds, and that portions of the blaze were confined to deep pockets of dense brush.
The first firefighters on the scene encountered two acres ablaze in an old fish pond, and the flames subsequently spread to a “landscape debris refuse yard,” according to county fire officials.
No injuries or structural damage were reported as of Wednesday morning.
