Two workers were killed in the unincorporated Riverside County area of Thermal, near the Salton Sea, after their tree-trimming crane’s bucket contact live wires, causing the crane to catch fire on the morning of Saturday, March 12th. The incident occurred just before 11 a.m. on the 68600 block of Harrison Street. Thermal is located southeast of Palm Desert and Indio.
According to authorities, the workers were cutting palm fronds when their bucket contacted power lines. The crane they were working in happened to be leaking oil, causing the crane to erupt in flames after becoming electrified. Ten firefighters and representatives of the Imperial Irrigation District responded to the fire, but were not able to save the two workers, who were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
The incident remains under investigation.
