Two people were killed Saturday morning when the crane they were using to trim palm trees in Riverside County made contact with power lines and caught fire, fire officials said.
The incident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. in the unincorporated area of Thermal, according to a statement on the Riverside County Fire Department’s website.
The two victims were cutting palm fronds in the 68600 block of Harrison Street when the crane’s bucket and the electrical wires made contact with one another, the department said. Meanwhile, the machine’s “lift was leaking oil which resulted in a fire.”
Ten firefighters responded to the location, along with Imperial Irrigation District personnel, and the electrical power was “secured,” officials said.
The two victims died at the scene, according to the statement. Neither was immediately identified.