Cal Fire Says Cause of Elm Fire in Cabazon Remains Under Investigation

The cause of a fire that scorched about seven acres Saturday on slopes above east Cabazon remained under investigation Monday, a Cal Fire spokeswoman said.

Some residents said they saw lightning and heard thunder before the fire broke out several hundred feet up the steep mountainside.

"I was in the house and my daughter came in and told me there was a fire," said Connie McGoldrick, 51, who lives at Elm Street and Esperanza Avenue. "My daughter called 911. So I came out, and we could just see the smoke, it had just barely started."

The fire was reported at 12:07 p.m. Saturday and Cal Fire said the location was Elm And Esperanza, but it was burning at least a quarter-mile from the east end of Esperanza Avenue, McGoldrick said.

"It tripled in size, about three times the size by the time the fire department came out here, in about 10-15 minutes," McGoldrick said. "After that it kept getting bigger, but once they got out here they got it out pretty quick."

More than 240 firefighters responded, according to Cal Fire. Aircraft were key in putting the fire out, McGoldrick said.

"It was way up the hill," she said. "I don't know how they could get up there."

McGoldrick said she counted two tanker planes and one helicopter, and one plane that directed traffic.

Even though the fire was way up the mountainside there was concern in the neighborhood. One of McGoldrick's neighbors started packing to evacuate, she said.

"They were loading their car up with a bunch of boxes over there," McGoldrick said. "It's understandable. Fire scares people."

The fire was reported 100 percent contained at 3:10 p.m., said Melody Hendrickson of Cal-Fire Riverside County.

Some people in east Cabazon remember the October 2006 Esperanza Fire, which started nearby, destroyed more than 30 homes, and burned 60 square miles. Five U.S. Forest Service firefighters died trying to protect a home in Twin Pines, and a suspected arsonist was convicted of five counts of murder.

Bob McGoldrick, 50, said he was at work in Palm Springs when his wife texted him about the fire.

"We live so close to the mountains and she tells me the mountain's on fire," he said. "It's very dry up there, we're July and August, and you know the whole area's a fire hazard. You get that heat lightning and you can take out this whole area quickly."

Connie said she noticed the weather before her daughter told her about the fire.

"I heard thunder and the house kind of rumbled a bit and little while later they said there was a fire," she said. "Lightning's an act of God where we have no control over, but an arsonist, that's just murder if somebody dies."

On Sunday it was raining in Cabazon, a rare occurence in late July.

"This time of year you very seldom get it," Bob McGoldrick said. "Last time we saw rain was back in December. That's winter months and here we're middle of summer."

Monsoonal moisure has contributed to afternoon thunderstorm potential in the Pass since last week. The National Weather Service on Monday advised thunderstorms were possible again Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon this week.