EL CARISO VILLAGE, Calif.—Just past a police checkpoint on the Ortega Highway—a two-lane mountain pass connecting Orange and Riverside counties—only scorched earth was left on Sept. 16 after the Airport Fire blackened the landscape.
The Airport fire, which destroyed 160 structures including homes and damaged 34 others, had burned since Sept. 9, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
The fire, which reached 31 percent containment on Sept. 16, was reportedly caused by a Public Works crew accident, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. The blaze has now grown to nearly 37 square miles.
Since it started in Trabuco Canyon, the southeastward burn path of the fire incinerated homes in its path and left many blackened vehicles behind.
According to fire officials, 12 fire personnel have been injured fighting the blaze and two residents reported injuries.
Within the framework of burned buildings and vehicles, one sign saying “Welcome Home” survived, while just 15 feet away, melted metal from a vintage file cabinet rested next to a chair where the residents of the burned home once sat.
About 2,200 fire crew members were working to fight the Airport Fire, along with eight firefighting helicopters and 252 fire engines, according to Cal Fire.
Three major fires continue to burn in Southern California. As firefighters continue efforts to contain the Airport Fire south of Los Angeles, the Bridge Fire to the city’s north and the Line Fire to the city’s west also continue to rage. Together, they have claimed more than 200 structures as thousands of residents remain evacuated from their homes.
“Fire crews made significant progress yesterday on all sides of the fire perimeter,” Cal Fire said in a Monday update. “Hot spots near Santiago Peak were extinguished with helicopter water drops. Fire activity is expected to be minimal Monday as a weather front passes through with cool temperatures and high relative humidity.”
Downed power lines remained a safety concern for fire crews and the public, Cal Fire reported. The agency said the use of generators and solar power could cause some of the downed power lines to be energized.
Bridge Fire
The Bridge Fire, burning in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, now covers about 85 square miles, according to fire officials as reported by Cal Fire.The fire that started in the afternoon of Sept. 8 near Camp Williams in the Angeles National Forest, about 45 miles northeast of Los Angeles, had destroyed 54 homes or other buildings by Monday, and damaged 13 others.
Three people were also injured in the fire, though no details were released by officials Monday.
Most of the homes destroyed were in the mountain community of Wrightwood, which remained under full evacuation Monday.
The town of about 4,500 residents is nestled in the San Gabriel Mountains, and is a recreational center for skiers and hikers in the winter and summer.
Fire officials were unable to describe the location or structures burned down by the fire, according to fire spokeswoman Lisa Cox.
“We don’t release that information,” Cox told The Epoch Times.
Several areas of Los Angeles and San Bernardino remained under evacuation orders and warnings as the week started.
Some 3,300 residents remained under evacuation orders Monday, and another 3,000 were under warnings, according to Mara Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Bridge Fire Operations Chief Don Fregulia said during a morning briefing Monday fire crews had contained about 11 percent of the fire’s perimeter.
“Although windy conditions hampered night flying aircraft last night, firefighters were successful in their direct and indirect line construction, increasing containment by two percent,” fire officials said Monday.
About 2,800 fire personnel, including hot shot crews, were fighting the fire where they could on Monday, though some areas were steep, rugged, and unforgiving country,” Fregulia said.
“We’re really paying attention over here and will insert boots on the ground when it picks up,” Fregulia said, pointing to a northern section of the fire near Pigeon Ridge and Rattlesnake Peak.
Crews were also focusing on the area around Mt. Baldy Village, just down the mountain from Wrightwood. Firefighters had gained ground around the area and were mopping up, he said.
“We’re starting to feel a bit more confident about some containment in the coming days,” he said.
A third fire—the Line Fire—reached 42 percent containment in San Bernardino County.
The fire reached 61 square miles on Monday.
One house near Keller Peak in the northern region of the fire had been destroyed and three others were damaged by Monday. No injuries were reported in the blaze that is burning mostly in rural dry vegetation.
Nearly 4,000 fire personnel were working on getting the flames under control, aided by 381 fire engines, 15 helicopters, 56 bulldozers, and other equipment.
Fire officials expected strong winds along the ridges in the fire area Monday.
“The fire is still smoldering and creeping in dry vegetation,” Cal Fire reported. “Firefighters are continuing building and strengthening control lines and mopping up hot spots.”
