A three-alarm fire broke out at a Palm Springs condo complex on Sunday, rendering 12 units unsalvageable, according to Fire Battalion Chief Mathew MacLean.
“There’s six units on the second floor that are a complete loss, the roofs burned off and there is extensive fire damage in the attic. And then there are six units on the first floor with extensive water damage that are a complete loss,” MacLean said in the Desert Sun.
The Palm Springs Fire Department tweeted an alert at 3:10 p.m. on May 29 reporting that they were, at the time, on the scene of a structure fire located on the 2800 block of Los Felices Road. According to the Twitter post, the cause of the fire is under investigation, and the Red Cross had been called to assist those displaced by the blaze.
According to the Desert Sun, residents were forced to evacuate as a result of the fire, which occurred on the south side of the Palm Springs Villas 1 complex at approximately 9:30 a.m. and involved Building 3 at 2875 Los Felices Rd.
The article described the incident as a “three-alarm fire,” which means that approximately 15 fire engines were called to the scene. Both Cal Fire and Cathedral City sent engines and firefighters.
Although the fire is under investigation, News Channel 3 KESQ did identify the origin as an attic, from which flames then spread to several other units.
The 50 firefighters on the scene were a combination of the Cal Fire, Palm Springs and Cathedral City fire departments, also according to KESQ. Due to wind conditions, firefighters had to be exceptionally thorough in clearing anything that was still smoldering to prevent the wind from restarting the flames, the article said.
