Airport Fire leaves path of destruction in Orange, Riverside counties

An airplane drops fire retardant on the Airport Fire near Porter Ranch in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

TRABUCO CANYON – 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 some structures damaged or destroyed, and eight firefighters injured.

“Most of those firefighters injured were heat-related illnesses,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said. “But one did get stung by numerous bees, and one sustained minor burns and the other couple had some injuries from fighting the fire, but all were released from the hospital and are doing well.”

Cooler temperatures and denuded hillsides were aiding firefighters Wednesday, Concialdi said.

“We got a lot of recovery last night because it cooled down,” he said. “Last night, it was 60 degrees, so that helped us improve those containment lines. That containment is expected to grow in our next report.”

Burn scars from the Holy Fire in 2018 and 2022 are providing much-needed breaks in the fuel for the blaze, Concialdi added.

“We can confirm that there were some homes damaged and destroyed in the communities around Ortega Highway,” but details were still being collected, Concialdi said.

As of Wednesday morning, the fire was estimated at 22,376 acres, with no containment.

The Orange County Fair and Event Center has taken in 93 horses evacuated due to the fire.

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.

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. (CNS)