Car Fire Burns 200 Acres North of Palm Springs

A brush fire in the hills just North of Palm Springs burned 200 acres at 'critical' rate of spread, official said. The blaze was first reported as a "Car Fire," meaning a tail pipe or other part of a car or truck ignited the fire.

Firemen were alerted to the blaze at about 2:40 p.m. in the 15900 block of Snow Creek Road, Cal Fire public safety information specialist Maggie De La Rosa said. No injuries or property damage have been reported.

The blaze is very visible from highway 111, a main road connecting downtown Palm Springs to Interstate 10. A fire fighting helicopter drops retardant on an arson fire in the hills about a mile north of downtown Palm Springs.