One Man Injured in Brush Fire

One man was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries on Monday, Aug. 10 after a fire broke out at a homeless encampment just off the I-10 freeway in Colton that morning, Colton fire officials said. The brush fire at Valley Boulevard and La Cadena Drive was reported about 7:45 a.m. Monday. Smoke was visible from both the westbound and eastbound directions of the freeway that morning. Colton Fire Captain Tom DeBellis, a spokesperson for the Colton fire department, said paramedics transported the man, who was living at the encampment, to the hospital to treat minor injuries. DeBellis said the cause of the fire was still under investigation but it was likely started as the result of burning wires or breakfast being cooked. "It sometimes gets out of control" due to large amounts of trash and debris in the area, DeBellis said.