By the time the neighbors noticed the fire, it had nearly fully engulfed the Rancho Mirage residence where it started.
“We heard noises, like a couple bangs, kind of like if you hit the side of a car or a trash can, and then we heard some popping sounds,” neighbor Nancy Hill said in a phone interview with The Desert Sun. “I viewed the (Ring) camera and I knew the house was on fire, and so we went outside. I was already calling 911.”
That call came around 11:16 p.m. Thursday, according to Cal Fire. Despite arriving relatively quickly, firefighters were unable to contain the fire until 2:17 a.m. On Friday morning, Battalion Chief Pete Tierney told KESQ one person had died in the fire.
However, a representative for Cal Fire was unable to confirm the death to The Desert Sun as of 2 p.m. Friday.
The fire agency described the home as “fully involved” in fire, which typically means a complete loss. It occurred in the 36800 block of Patricia Park Place.
Neighbors described a scramble to evacuate the two houses on either side of the burning residence.
“We’re so lucky there wasn’t any wind because my house would be directly downwind of it,” neighbor Jackson Haring said.
He was woken up by Hill and immediately heard a distinct popping sound he assumed to be fireworks, he said.
“Oddly none of the landscaping on our property lines was destroyed,” he added. “We’re just lucky it was a still night.”
An elderly man in his mid-70s lived alone in the destroyed home, according to neighbors. They haven’t heard from him today and worry he did not survive.
The cause of the fire had yet to be determined. Investigators were still on scene Friday and were expected to report more information by the end of the day.
In total, five engines, one truck, and a medic unit responded to the fire.
Sam Morgen covers the city of Palm Springs for The Desert Sun. Reach him at smorgen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Report: Ranch Mirage house fire results in death of one person
