LIGHTNING STRIKES CAUSE FIRES, POWER OUTAGES IN MORONGO BASIN

Thunderstorms rolling through the Morongo Basin early this morning have caused sporadic power outages and lightning fires. Lightning struck a palm tree in the 7200 block of Sunnyslope in Twentynine Palms about 2:20 this morning, causing a fire. Winds made putting out the blaze more difficult than usual. Firefighters in Yucca Mesa responded to several Joshua tree fires caused by lightning strikes up on the mesa. Power outages have been reported in Morongo Valley, Yucca Valley, and Joshua Tree. Southern California Edison expects power to be restored between 8 and 9 a.m.