Four children, ages 8 to 11, were playing with matches a little after noon on August 26, 1980, in the lower reaches of Dry Falls Canyon.
They started a brush fire that burned for 13 days and charred more than 28,000 acres of wilderness in the San Jacinto foothills.
The fire, fanned by hot desert winds, swept up the side of the mountain above the Las Palmas neighborhood and downtown Palm Springs. The inferno then headed south, burning the mostly treeless wilderness all of the way to Andreas Canyon.
More than 1,600 firefighters were involved in suppressing the fire, drawing squads from all over the country. Twelve bulldozers, 53 engines, three water trucks, five command aircraft, 19 air tankers and 10 helicopters were used.
One of the U.S. Forest Service helicopters crashed, but luckily the crew sustained only minor injuries. The firefighter’s job was intensified due to extremely hot summer temperatures. The cost to the taxpayers was estimated to be $3.5 million.
Six homes in Andreas Canyon were destroyed as well as three cars that were damaged in downtown Palm Springs when a load of flame retardant was prematurely released. Many of the palm trees in Andreas Canyon, 36 years later, still have black burn marks from the fire on their trunks.
When the fire was finally put out, Patty Delgado, the owner of Las Casuelas Terraza, organized a huge barbecue to honor and thank the firefighters before they returned home.
There are a multitude of ways to Explore Palm Springs, which turned 75 in 2013. One of the more intriguing methods is by exploring Palm Springs history.
The Palm Springs Historical Society will share a weekly story whose time and place corresponds with today.
The Palm Springs Historical Society is located at 221 S. Palm Canyon Drive.
Visit www.pshistoricalsociety.org for more information.