TRABUCO CANYON, Calif.—Firefighters are making progress battling the massive Airport Fire Sunday in Orange and Riverside counties, where 23,519 acres (36.7 square miles) have been charred with containment now at 19 percent.
“The weather has been great with cooler temperatures, the marine layer and the higher, relative humidity,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi told City News Service on Saturday.
Relative humidity Sunday was expected to be about 66 percent over most of the fire below 3,500 feet, fire officials said. Light showers or drizzle were forecast for Sunday night into Monday morning.
Officials said crews were having “notable success in increasing containment” in areas such as Lake Elsinore, Decker Canyon Road and Lakeland Village.
Crews were expected to keep working to clear lines of vegetation and use favorable weather to help put out flames. “The work of hand crews, and the arrival of additional handcrews, are critical to success during this advantageous window,” officials said.
In Orange County, people in Caspers Regional Park, San Juan Springs, Blue Jay campground were ordered to evacuate, while a larger number of neighborhoods were under evacuation orders and evacuation warnings in Riverside County.
Evacuation warnings were in place in Orange County for portions of Ortega Highway, Robinson Ranch HOA, Trabuco Highlands HOA, Trabuco Highland Apartment Complex, the East Side of Coto de Caza, Silverado Canyon, Modjeska Canyon, Rose Canyon Road, Trabuco Creek Road, Trabuco Canyon Road, Trabuco Oaks Drive, Joplin Loop, Cook’s Corner, Dove Canyon, El Cariso.
An evacuation center that had been established at RSM Bell Tower Community Center, 22232 El Paseo in Rancho Santa Margarita, was closed Friday, and a new shelter was established at Foothill Ranch Library, 27002 Cabriole Way. Pets were also being accepted at that location.
Large animals were being housed at Orange County Fairgrounds, Los Alamitos Race Course and Nohl Ranch Saddle Club at 6352 E. Nohl Ranch Road in Anaheim.
- Trabuco Canyon Road and Trabuco Creek Road;
- El Toro Road and Live Oak Canyon Road;
- Ortega Highway at Nichols Institute.
Officials said 11 firefighters had suffered minor injuries fighting the blaze, many of them heat-related, while two civilians were also injured, one with an unknown medical condition and the other suffering burn injuries.
Cal Fire said 107 residential, commercial and other structures were destroyed, and another 12 were damaged.
The Airport Fire began at about 1 p.m. Monday near Trabuco Canyon Road in the area of the remote-controlled airplane airport, OCFA Capt. Sean Doran said. Officials said the fire was sparked by a county public works crew using heavy equipment. The cause was deemed accidental.
Fire officials estimate the fire will be fully contained by lines of cleared vegetation by Sept. 24.
By Tuesday morning, the fire had raced up the canyons and hillsides and crested into Riverside County, burning toward the El Cariso and Lake Elsinore areas, where evacuation warnings and orders were issued.
Some 1,949 personnel were involved in the firefight, including 36 crews, 253 engines, 31 dozers, 15 water tenders, and 10 helicopters.
The Airport Fire was one of three large wildfires burning in Southern California this weekend. The Line Fire had burned 38,417 acres (60 square miles) and was 29 percent contained in San Bernardino County as of Sunday morning, while the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties had burned 54,567 acres (85.3 square miles) and was at 9 percent containment.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District extended an air quality advisory until at least 11 p.m. Sunday for most of the region due to smoke from all three major wildfires.
Cal Fire officials said Gov. Gavin Newsom has secured a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency “to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppressing the Airport Fire.”
