A brush fire unintentionally caused by heavy equipment used by an Orange County public works crew exploded in size overnight, prompting evacuations.
The Airport Fire began about 1 p.m. Monday near Trabuco Canyon Road in the area of the remote-controlled airplane airport, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Sean Doran.
Another fire authority official, Capt. Steve Concialdi, had warned simply in the morning that it “is growing,” His prediction proved true – the blaze had expanded to 19,028 acres by the early evening, according to Cal Fire. That’s up from 9,300 acres, the overnight figure issued in the morning.
“It has crested the north main divide and gone into Riverside County,” Concialdi said.
Evacuation orders have been issued with additional warnings were in effect for a host of Riverside County areas near the fire zone, generally in areas north of the San Diego County line, west of Interstate 15, east of the Orange County line and south of Bedford Motor Way.
The blaze, which has zero containment, is still burning through “dense vegetation,” but was “burning toward Ortega Highway,” where there are residences, Concialdi said.
Officials said “much of the terrain is steep and extremely difficult to access,” putting increased reliance on water- and retardant-dropping aircraft.
Ortega Highway was closed Tuesday between Grand Avenue and Nichols Institute, according to the fire authority. Only residents were being permitted in or out of the area.
Fire Authority Deputy Chief TJ McGovern told reporters Monday night that the fire was accidentally sparked by a county work crew. McGovern said the crew was working in the area near Trabuco Creek Road, using heavy equipment on boulders meant to replace barriers used to restrict access to the vegetation.
“The fire is classified as unintentional. The cause of the fire was a spark from heavy equipment,” McGovern said. “After placing a load of boulders, the operators began seeing smoke coming from the area of the loader’s basket.”
“The operator and the supervisor used multiple fire extinguishers and the loaders to attempt to extinguish the fire while 911 was being called.”
He said that when emergency crews arrived on scene, “they recorded a half-acre vegetation fire on both sides of the road and that there was a potential for a large, major incident right off the get go. Crews immediately requested multiple additional resources to help from outside of our county, to our neighboring counties and to our region.”
A mandatory evacuation order was issued for the Robinson Ranch community in Rancho Santa Margarita. Voluntary evacuation warnings were in place for residents on Rose Canyon Road, Trabuco Creek Road, Trabuco Canyon Road, Trabuco Oaks Drive, Joplin Loop and Cook’s Corner.
Additional mandatory evacuations were announced late Tuesday morning for areas near Caspers Park, with a warning issued near Blue Jay Campground.
In addition, the blaze was bearing down on Santiago Peak, which is home to a series of radio and television broadcast towers, used not only by local media outlets but also federal and local government agencies. Concialdi said crews were working to protect the peak but had to
withdraw because the flames got “too intense.”
A “care and reception shelter” for evacuees was established at the Rancho Santa Margarita Bell Tour Regional Community Center, 22232 El Paseo. Large animals can be sheltered at the Orange County Fair Grounds, 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa.
An evacuation center was established at Santiago High School on Foothill Parkway in Corona. Large animals can be taken to the Jurupa Valley Animal Shelter, 6851 Van Buren Blvd., according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
There were no reports of any serious injuries or structural damage.
The OCFA was using new firefighting helicopters that can dump 1,000 gallons of water on the flames, Doran said.
The Corona-Norco Unified School District opted to close Wilson, Temescal Valley and Todd elementary schools Tuesday due to the proximity of the fire and the resulting poor air quality. All schools in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District were also closed, and all before- and after-school activities were canceled.
A college and career fair that had been scheduled by the district Tuesday evening was canceled.
Robinson and Trabuco Elementary schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District in Orange County were also closed Tuesday.
Several other districts in the area announced that officials would be closely monitoring the fire conditions and possibly adjusting outdoor activities due to the air quality.
Other ongoing fires in the region include the Roblar Fire at Camp Pendleton and the Line Fire in San Bernardino County.
– City News Service
Updated 3:30 p.m. and 6:05 p.m. Sept. 10, 2024
