Airport Fire destroys 115 homes in Orange, Riverside counties

Firefighters battle the Airport Fire along Trabuco Creek Road in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)

TRABUCO CANYON – More than 100 homes were destroyed in the massive Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside counties, where 23,519 acres have been charred with containment now at 19 percent.

The wildfire left several people injured and forced entire communities to evacuate their homes, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Cal Fire said 152 residential, commercial and other structures were destroyed,  The Orange County Fire Authority told ABC7 on Sunday that 115 of those structures were residential.

Firefighters were making progress battling the massive Airport Fire Monday.

“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.

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.

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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.

Residents can check here to determine if their homes are impacted by evacuation orders or warnings.

An evacuation center 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.

The following road closures were in effect in Orange County:

— Trabuco Canyon Road and Trabuco Creek Road;
— El Toro Road and Live Oak Canyon Road;
— Ortega Highway at Nichols Institute.

Full details on closures are available here.

Officials said 14 people were injured, mostly firefighters who suffered minor injuries fighting the blaze, many of them heat-related.

The Airport Fire began at about 1 p.m. Sept. 9 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 that the fire will be fully contained by lines of cleared vegetation by Sept. 24.

Some 1,941 personnel were involved in the firefight, including 36 crews, 203 engines, 31 dozers, 15 water tenders and eight helicopters.

The Airport Fire was one of three large wildfires burning in Southern California this weekend. The Line Fire had burned 38,804 acres and was 42 perecent contained in San Bernardino County as of Sunday, while the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties had burned 54,658 acres and was at
9 percent containment.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District extended an air quality advisory until at least 11 p.m. Monday for most of the region due to smoke from all three major wildfires. (With CNS report)