Palm oasis fire~That's My World 122010

Here are more of the photos I took of the burned palm oasis last weekend. After our two days of rain here and more rain forecast for the rest of the week, I may hike back out there Thursday or Friday and take another look. As I stated earlier, hubby and I were driving home from Indion one evening after having dinner at our daughter's house and I glanced out the window and saw a bright light. I commented to hubby, "That looks like a fire!" to which he gaffed. Then he looked out the passenger window and confirmed my fears. It was all over the local news the next day and took three days and countless fire companies to put out that fire. It turns out that it was one of the palm oases along the San Andreas Fault, which runs through the Coachella Valley. Cause of fire: "under investigation", but this oasis is in a very isolated location. And while our desert palms are not an endangered species, they DO provide homes for many, many birds. Their presence also indicates a location for underground water and if you want to find water in the desert, you look for a palm oasis. That's My World for December 20, 2010.

UPDATE: I've been following the news updates as they come in about these palms. Apparently they WILL grow back, but it may take a year. However, we've recently had 4 days of rain and this area received nearly 4 inches of rain, so they may be back this spring! Good news! I'll keep you updated.