LAKE ELSINORE (CNS) – The Airport Fire that began in an Orange County canyon and quickly swelled through vegetation and marched into Riverside County continued to spread destruction in both counties Wednesday, with an unknown number of structures damaged or destroyed.
According to Cal Fire, seven injuries have been reported from the fire that began Monday afternoon, although no details were provided. As of Wednesday morning, the fire was estimated at 22,376 acres, with no containment.
On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved an emergency declaration in response to the fire, in hopes of obtaining additional financial resources for the firefight and eventual recovery. Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom secured assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for all the fires in the state, including the Airport Fire, the Bridge Fire burning in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and the Line Fire in San Bernardino County.
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.
Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said that by Tuesday morning, the fire had raced up the canyons and hillsides and crested into Riverside County. The blaze also bore 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. The fire appeared to lap right up to the base of some of the towers, but the equipment appeared to escape any serious damage.
By early Tuesday evening, the flames marched downslope toward Lake Elsinore, with video from the area showing some structures and vehicles consumed by flames.
Ortega Highway was closed between Grand Avenue and Nichols Institute. That area had been under a voluntary evacuation warning, but late Tuesday morning, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for areas along the highway near Caspers Park.
A mandatory evacuation order was previously 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. Evacuation warnings were issued Tuesday for Silverado and Modjeska canyons.
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.
Some pets were being sheltered at OC Animal Care at 1630 Victory Road in Tustin, officials said. Mission Viejo Animal Services was also helping residents with shelter for pets.
Additional evacuation warnings were also in effect for a host of Riverside County areas near the fire zone, generally in an area east of the Orange County line, north of the San Diego County line, south of Bedford Motor Way and west of Interstate 15.
Early Tuesday afternoon, some of those warnings became evacuation orders, impacting an area generally north of the San Diego County line, east of the Orange County line, south of Lake Elsinore near the base of Ortega Highway and west of South Main Divide Road/Grand Avenue.
An evacuation center was established at Santiago High School, 1395 E. Foothill Parkway, Corona. Large animals can be taken to the Jurupa Valley Animal Shelter, 6851 Van Buren Blvd., according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Fire crews on Wednesday were deploying additional resources into the El Cariso area in Riverside County southwest of Lake Elsinore in hopes of shoring up structure protection and hoping to make a stand against the fire’s advance.
Talbot Hayes of the Cleveland National Forest said the fire, which erupted on the tail end of a prolonged heat wave, was being driven by weather, fuel and topography. Temperatures began dropping Tuesday, but highs in the fire area were still just below triple-digits, he said.
Firefighters were battling areas with grass as high as 4 feet with chaparral as high as 8 feet, Hayes said. The terrain is at times “barely hikeable even for our most fit firefighters.”
There were 36 cabins in Trabuco and Silverado canyons that firefighters had yet to assess for damage, he said.
Officials noted that “much of the terrain is steep and extremely difficult to access,” prompting increased reliance on water- and retardant- dropping aircraft.
Orange County Fire Authority Deputy Chief TJ McGovern told reporters Monday night that the fire was accidentally sparked by a county work crew. McGovern said Orange County Public Works crews were working in the area near Trabuco Creek Road, using heavy equipment to place 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.”
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, and all three remained shuttered on Wednesday. All schools in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District were also closed Tuesday, and remained closed Wednesday, and all before- and after-school activities were canceled.
Robinson and Trabuco Elementary schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District in Orange County were also closed Tuesday, and were closed again Wednesday. Santa Margarita Catholic High School also remained closed Wednesday.
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.
Earlier
Airport Fire in OC’s Trabuco Canyon Area Pushes into Riverside County
LAKE ELSINORE (CNS) – A rapidly expanded brush fire that began in Orange County pushed toward Riverside County Tuesday, prompting evacuation orders and warnings for some residents near Lake Elsinore.
Many neighborhoods in the general area of the 9,300-acre Airport Fire were already under evacuation warnings as the blaze spread. But early Tuesday afternoon, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for an area generally north of the San Diego County line, east of the Orange County line, south of Lake Elsinore near the base of Ortega Highway and west of South Main Divide Road/Grand Avenue.
An evacuation center was established at Santiago High School, 1395 E. Foothill Parkway, Corona. Large animals can be taken to the Jurupa Valley Animal Shelter, 6851 Van Buren Blvd., according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
An interactive map of evacuation areas for residents to determine if they are affected was available online at https://go.genasys.com/v7iaww.
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 also canceled.
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.
As of Tuesday morning, the blaze had expanded to 9,300 acres “and is growing,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said.
“It has crested the north main divide and gone into Riverside County,” Concialdi said.
The blaze was also 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 by had to withdraw from the area because the flames got “too intense.”
The blaze, which had zero containment as of Tuesday afternoon, was still burning through “dense vegetation,” but was “burning toward Ortega Highway,” where there are residences, Concialdi said.
Ortega Highway was closed between Grand Avenue and Nichols Institute. The area had been under a voluntary evacuation warning, but late Tuesday morning, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for areas along the highway near Caspers Park.
A mandatory evacuation order was previously 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. Evacution warnings were issued Tuesday for Silverado and Modjeska canyons.
A “care and reception shelter” for Orange County 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.
Officials said “much of the terrain is steep and extremely difficult to access,” putting increased reliance on water- and retardant-dropping aircraft.
There were no reports of any serious injuries or structural damage.
Orange County Fire Authority Deputy Chief TJ McGovern told reporters Monday night that the fire was accidentally sparked by a county work crew. McGovern said Orange County Public Works crews were working in the area near Trabuco Creek Road, using heavy equipment to place 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 crews initially 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.”
The OCFA was using new firefighting helicopters that can dump 1,000 gallons of water on the flames, Doran said.
Earlier
The Airport Fire Unintentionally Set by OC Public Works Crew Keeps Growing
Airport Fire
TRABUCO CANYON (CNS) – A brush fire authorities say was unintentionally caused by heavy equipment used by an Orange County public works crew exploded in size overnight, prompting more evacuation warnings and some school closures.
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.
By Monday night, the fire had grown to more than 5,400 acres, but Tuesday morning, the OCFA estimated its size at about 9,000 acres, with no containment. Officials said “much of the terrain is steep and extremely difficult to access,” putting increased reliance on water- and retardant- dropping aircraft.
Orange County Fire Authority Deputy Chief TJ McGovern told reporters Monday night that the fire was accidentally sparked by a county work crew. McGovern said Orange County Public Works crews were working in the area near Trabuco Creek Road, using heavy equipment to place 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 crews initially 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 evacuation warnings were announced Tuesday morning near Ortega Highway, including Caspers Regional Park and Blue Jay Campground.
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.
Additional evacuation warnings were also in effect for a host of Riverside County areas near the fire zone, generally in an area east of the Orange County line, north of the San Diego County line, south of Bedford Motor Way and west of Interstate 15. An evacuation center was established at Santiago High School, 1395 E. Foothill Parkway, 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 also 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.
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