A 3.5-acre fire at the Prescott Preserve in Palm Springs burned roughly 100 palm trees and forced a partial road closure Sunday, Feb. 1. Fire crews contained the blaze within a couple hours.
Police and firefighters were still at the scene as shortly before 5 p.m., after the blaze was reported just after 2 p.m. The blaze was located in the preserve between Farrell Drive and Compadre Road, located south of Ramon Road, and portions of both of those roads remained closed at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Palm Springs Fire Battalion Chief Ryan Barrier told The Desert Sun that firefighters initially received a 911 call regarding a single bush on fire at the preserve. By the time the first engine arrived on scene, the blaze had spread to numerous palm trees, with no threat to nearby structures. The fire’s forward progress was stopped by around 3:45 p.m., according to Barrier.
Palm Springs fire crews were expected to remain on scene Sunday evening to work on mopping up the area, Barrier said, while Cathedral City and Cal Fire units were being demobilized as of 4:30 p.m.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Jane Garrison, executive director of the Oswit Land Trust, which runs the preserve, said later Sunday that an arson investigation will be taking place this week.
“Our beautiful palm tree oasis surrounding the ponds is almost gone,” Garrison said in an emailed statement. “What makes this loss even more painful is that we can say with a high degree of certainty that this fire was human-caused.”
“It is important to be clear that this fire was NOT caused by dry conditions,” Garrison added. “The preserve is healthy and green.”
Prescott Fire impacts 100 palm trees
Barrier said the blaze impacted roughly 100 palm trees around a pond area in the preserve, with some trees severely damaged and others less substantially. A bridge over the pond remained intact.
An investigation into the cause of the blaze was just starting Sunday and will be ongoing as firefighters mop up the scene, according to Barrier. He emphasized there’s no threat to the public due to the blaze, and there were no reported injuries to any firefighters or civilians.
The preserve is located at the former Mesquite Country Club golf course, which was purchased in 2022 by local philanthropist Brad Prescott, who then donated the land to Oswit Land Trust. It covers roughly 120 acres, per the preserve’s website.
Garrison said Sunday that all of the preserve’s trails on the east side of Farrell Drive will be closed until further notice. She added the Oswit Land Trust had not yet been able to assess how the turtle population or other wildlife were faring from the fire.
“We can’t thank the fire department enough for their quick response,” Garrison said. “This could have been even worse for both humans and wildlife.”
Witness describes smelling smoke, seeing blaze
As firefighters and police got the blaze under control Sunday afternoon, several onlookers were checking out the scene, while a few cyclists passed by on Farrell Drive.
Robert Olson, who lives at the Mesquite Country Club with his husband just north of where the blaze broke out, said he was enjoying the afternoon when he smelled smoke through his screen door.
“I’m a fire victim from the Palisades Fire, so I’m sensitive but thought, ‘Well, somebody must be barbecuing,’” Olson said. But he then saw a neighbor running by and telling him there was a fire near the pond, which is located across a small lawn from many of the condos on the club’s north side.
“Then, the whole thing caught on fire,” Olson said. “It must’ve been 30 or 40 trees out there. … It was spreading.”
He said firefighters came around Compadre Road and fought it from the back side, then they brought another engine and came through the lawn as they worked to get the fire contained.
Olson was optimistic that many of the palm trees would be able to come back, saying he’s seen their resilience in areas near the Pacific Ocean.
“Some of them may be casualties, but they have a way of surviving through this,” Olson said.
Olson also said he hopes the blaze will cause more to be done to prevent any additional fires at the preserve, adding he wants to see more fire hydrants in the area.
This is a developing story.
Tom Coulter is a reporter for The Desert Sun. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 100 palm trees impacted by Prescott Preserve fire in Palm Springs
Reporting by Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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