Firefighters urgently asked for a large amount of air support on Friday, May 30, including a very large air tanker, a large air tanker and a Type 3 air tanker, according to a radio station captured by WatchDuty.
The fire, named Eureka Fire, soared to 1:40 p.m., to nearly 164 acres. The 20-acre brush fire at 11:57 a.m. in the Lower Covington Flat area of the park, was reportedly located in the flammable brushes on Lower Covington Flat Road, between the Joshua Tree and the Nolina Cove Road in the town of Carmelita Place, and between the Carmelita Place and Carmelita Circle in Yucca Valley.
A mile of visible smoke plumes, including the thick smoke captured from the Onyx Peak camera. A helicopter and two smaller air tankers appeared to head to the area on the calf map at 2:15 pm.
A park spokesman said along with their firefighters, additional resources from BLM and San Bernardino counties have been requested to try to curb the active fire. The weather in the area is cool, with high temperatures close to 84, but the south wind blows at about 10 mph and gusts are as high as 20 mph. Fire is 0%. The reason is under investigation.
This is a developing story.
This article originally appeared in the Palm Springs Desert Sun: The Fire of the Joshua Tree: The Eureka Fire spreads in Joshua Tree National Park
