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Crime & Safety

Fire Update: Highway 111 Opened

Both the northbound and southbound sides of Higway 111 are now open as the "Windy Point Fire" still burns.

A fire that began Saturday evening has consumed 450 acres of mountainside and grasslands near the San Gorgonio Pass today, and forced the closure of Highway 111 northwest of Palm Springs. According to Cal Fire, the fire is 16 percent contained.

According to the California Highway Patrol, as of 4 p.m. Sunday both sides of Highway 111 are now open, a CHP spokesperson said Sunday.

Traffic between Banning and Palm Springs was detoured to Interstate 10 and North Indian Avenue, and 35 mph winds were blowing smoke into the Coachella Valley.

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Fire crews reported 15 percent containment of the “Windy Point Fire” after fighting it overnight on the steep flanks of the San Jacinto Mountains north of the Palm Springs tramway access road and south of Highway 111. The tramway was coincidentally closed for maintenance today.

But Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Kristen Allison said that the "Windy Point Fire's" forward progress was stopped early this afternoon. She said that were no structures threatened and no injuries reported.

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The fire broke out along Highway 111 east of Overture Drive about 6:50 p.m. Saturday, Allison said. The highway was closed between Overture Drive and the Palm Springs city limits at Gateway Drive, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.

“It's very steep terrain and we have 35 mph winds,” Allison said.

One hundred fifty firefighters were sent from Palm Springs, CalFire, BLM and the U.S. Forest Service and firefighters began getting help of two helicopters fighting the flames from the air this morning, she said.

One hundred eighty firefighters were sent from Palm Springs, CalFire,
BLM and the U.S. Forest Service. Firefighters got help from two helicopters fighting the flames from the air this morning, she said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.

City News Service contributed to this story.

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