(CNS) – Two people were transported to the hospital with critical burn injuries and Interstate 10 near Palm Desert was closed Friday as firefighters worked to contain a fire that broke out on the exterior of a train.
The Riverside County Fire Department responded to the scene of the blaze at 12:33 p.m. near Dinah Shore Drive and Pacific Avenue and found a container on a train that had caught fire, and two victims who required transportation to a nearby hospital for treatment of critical burns.
TRAIN FIRE – Rptd 12:33 PM. Near Dinah Shore Dr and Pacific Ave in Palm Desert. Firefighters are on scene of an exterior fire on a container of a train. I-10 is closed between Cook St and Monterey Ave. #PacificIC pic.twitter.com/U8cO6XRVj1
— CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) October 1, 2021
According to Calfire officials, the container is reported to house hazardous materials including 25 pounds of lithium batteries, consumer drills, cell phones, 28 standard car batteries and 11 airbag-deploy gas cylinders.
Caltrans and Calfire alerted the public on Twitter that due to the blaze, the I-10 Cook Street on-ramp along with the I-10 eastbound third lane between Cook Street and Monterey Avenue would be closed for an unknown duration.
Union Pacific Railroad stopped all railroad traffic in the area, according to officials.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
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