Airport Fire in Trabuco Canyon forces more evacuations, school closures

Ken Motonishi walks his dogs as the Airport Fire burns near Porter Ranch in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

TRABUCO CANYON – A brush fire authorities say was unintentionally caused by heavy equipment continued its relentless march Tuesday, 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.

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 has zero containment, was still burning through “dense vegetation,” but was “burning toward Ortega Highway,” where there are residences, Concialdi said.

Firefighters monitor the Airport Fire from a ridge near Porter Ranch in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

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 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.

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.

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.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a declaration of an emergency regarding the fire.

Orange County Emergency Manager Michelle Anderson told supervisors the city of Rancho Santa Margarita is also considering an emergency proclamation.

Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee said, “It’s more than just the fire itself, it’s for the aftermath that is also covered by the resolution.”

The emergency declaration will help with getting state funding to help prevent landslides from denuded hillsides, Chaffee noted.

“It’s intended to anticipate some of the problems in the future,” he said.

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.

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. Santa Margarita Catholic High School was also closed for the day.

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. (CNS)