Firefighters respond to blazes near Coachella, Palm Springs as weather service issues wind advisory

Firefighters responded to two vegetation fires in the Coachella Valley on Friday afternoon.

Riverside County firefighters responded just after 1 p.m. to a fire that began near the intersection of Fillmore Street and Avenue 52 east of Coachella. The intersection is located within an agricultural area and by 3:50 p.m., the fire had grown to 10 acres.

The department tweeted at 1:34 p.m. that the fire was burning in a 100-by-100 foot spot with heavy brush, tires, debris and other fuels feeding it. By 2:35 p.m., the fire had grown to approximately a half-acre in size. At that time, Fillmore Street was closed between Avenue 52 and Avenue 53 and the fire department announced that resources would be committed for an extended period of time.

Ten fire engines and three water tenders (vehicles used to transport water) were on scene while firefighters from the Palm Springs Fire Department were assisting.

Palm Springs Fire also responded to a fire that began burning alongside the westbound side of Interstate 10, just west of Indian Canyon Drive early Thursday afternoon. That fire burned what Public Information Officer Nathan Gunkel called "a small ten foot area" and was quickly put out.

The fires occurred as the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory covering Desert Hot Springs, the Riverside County mountains and the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning. The advisory, which does not include the rest of the Coachella Valley, will take effect at 9 p.m., Friday and continue until 1 p.m., Saturday.

The advisory warned that northeast to east winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected in the area along with gusts of up to 55 mph. Those winds could blow around unsecured objects and blow down tree limbs, the advisory warned. Power outages were also possible.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Firefighters responded to blazes in Coachella and Palm Springs Friday