Crime & Safety
Vegetable Packing Plant Goes Up In Flames In Coachella Valley
Firefighters battled the 50,000 square foot warehouse blaze early Thursday, with four injuries to firefighters.
COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — Firefighters battled a structural fire Thursday in a large Coachella vegetable packing plant.
Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department personnel responded to reports of a blaze at 6:25 a.m. Thursday in the 85400 block of Grapefruit Boulevard, according to a department statement. The affected building comprises about 50,000 square feet.
More than 50 firefighters were called to the scene, with more expected to come later in the operation, according to the RCFD statement. Among the units present were some Cathedral City and Palm Desert staff.
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As of 10 a.m., four firefighters were hospitalized with minor injuries.
Grapefruit Boulevard was closed from Fourth Street to Avenue 50 as a precautionary measure and will likely remain closed for multiple hours, according to the RCFD statement.
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RFCD staff issued a warning to "avoid the area if possible" and promised to provide additional updates as the situation develops.
