Airport Fire destroys homes, continues to burn in Orange and Riverside counties

The Airport Fire burning in Orange and Riverside Counties is one of three brush fires continuing to rage in Southern California Tuesday as hot temperatures and dry conditions challenge firefighting crews.

The blaze in Trabuco Canyon exploded in size overnight and by Tuesday afternoon it had burned nearly 20,000 acres and remains 0% contained. Evacuation orders and warnings for thousands remain in place in the Rancho Santa Margarita area, as Trabuco Canyon is north of the city, in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. 

Photos: Airport Fire burns homes and tens of thousands of acres in Orange, Riverside Counties

Just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, authorities expanded mandatory evacuation orders to include homes in Riverside County as the rapidly moving fire began to creep towards Lake Elsinore.

"This is an order by law enforcement to leave immediately," said officials with Cal Fire, or the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Several homes were destroyed by the massive flames, forcing thousands to remain under evacuation order.

The Orange County Fire Authority dubbed it the Airport Fire after it started around 1 p.m. Monday near a remote-controlled airplane airport on Trabuco Creek Road. The flames quickly grew, burning through vegetation on the hillside to more than 5,400 acres within hours. 

The Bridge Fire in the Angeles National Forest continues to burn Tuesday and also remains 0% contained. The Bridge Fire was reported to be at 800 acres as of Sunday evening and grew to nearly 3,000 acres less than a day later. On Tuesday, it surpassed 34,000 acres.

The Line Fire is the largest fire and continues to burn in San Bernardino County. It began along Base Line and Aplin streets in the city of Highland on Thursday evening. It tore through several hundred acres before quickly growing over Friday night to surpass 3,000 acres. By Tuesday, it had burned nearly 33,000 acres.  

More than 1,000 firefighters were designated to battle the massive blaze, including surge strike teams who were sent to the Lake Elsinore area. 

Blaze approaches site of 2018 Holy Fire 

As the Airport Fire exploded in size, Orange County Fire Authority deployed around 1,000 personnel, including hand crews, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft, to extinguish the fire before it reached homes.

Two OFCA firefighters were treated for heat-related injuries before being taken to a local hospital. One civilian was also hospitalized after suffering from smoke inhalation. All are expected to recover, according to firefighters. 

During a press conference Monday evening, Cleveland National Forest District Ranger Darrell Vance said that the fire was burning towards the footprint of the Holy Fire in 2018, which torched more than 23,000 acres and destroyed nearly 20 structures. 

"Obviously, we don't want to make predictions on what we think it's going to do, but we have high hopes that that's gonna assist us with the prior burn scar," Vance said. 

While not fully confirmed, officials say that they believe the blaze was unintentionally started by public works crews that were using heavy equipment in the area Monday afternoon. 

Tuesday morning, fire authorities said the scars from earlier fires in the mountains are slowing progress as the blaze moves away from homes towards the Cleveland National Forest.

Evacuations and road closures

On Tuesday afternoon, as firefighters continued battling the flames, authorities upgraded some voluntary warnings telling people to be prepared to flee to mandatory evacuation orders. 

People are being told to evacuate homes near the following areas immediately.

• Zone RSM03
  
• Zone ORT01
• Zone ELC01, 
• these locations include includes residences within/near:
  • Rose Canyon Road
  • Cook's Corner
  • Joplin Loop
  • Dove Canyon
  • El Cariso & Blue Jay Campground
  • Trabuco Creek Road
  • Trabuco Canyon Road
  • Trabuco Oaks Drive
  • Ortega Highway, San Juan Springs, Caspers Park, Quest Diagnostics, Lazy W & Campground

Earlier, the department issued an evacuation order for homes on Meander Lane, including:

• Robinson Ranch HOA
• Trabuco Highlands HOA
• Trabuco Highland Apartment Complex  

Mandatory evacuation orders are also in place for areas along Ortega Highway, near Caspers Park.  

Meanwhile, the following areas are under voluntary evacuation warnings. 

• Silverado Canyon
• Modjeska Canyon
• El Cariso & Blue Jay Campground
• Rancho Santa Margarita
• Coto de Caza

Warnings are issued for Orange County locations in zones: TBU01, RSM02, RSM01, MOD01, SIL01, CDC01 and CDC02. 

A list of warnings and mandatory evacuation orders, including a searchable map showing where they are, can be found here.

Firefighters asked people to avoid the area to allow firefighters to respond effectively. Deputies closed the following roads:

• Ortega Highway between Grand Avenue and Nichols
• Plano Trabuco and Joshua Drive
• Plano Trabuco and Robinson Ranch
• Antonio and Alas de Paz
• Trabuco Canyon and Trabuco Creek
• Santa Margarita and Antonio
• Avenida Empresa and Santa Margarita Parkway

Authorities established a long-term care and reception shelter at the Bell Tower Regional Community Center at 22232 El Paseo, Rancho Santa Margarita, 92688.  A large animal shelter has been established at 88 Fair Drive in the City of Costa Mesa. 

A temporary evacuation site has been set up at the Lake Forest Sports Complex, located at 28000 Vista Terrace in Lake Forest.

Riverside County impact, evacuations expanded

Late Monday, the Riverside County Fire Department also issued evacuation warnings for people living on the other side of the Santa Ana Mountains. By 2 p.m. Tuesday, some of those warnings had been upgraded to mandatory evacuation orders.

As the fire continued to rage Tuesday afternoon, fire officials said that it had jumped Highway 74, more popularly known as the Ortega Highway, and was burning well into Deckert Canyon. 

Authorities have ordered most residents at the base of the Santa Ana Mountain range on the Lake Elsinore side to evacuate. The rapidly expanding zone includes homes near Alberhill, Lakeland Village, Wildomar Off-Highway Vehicle Area, Tenaja, and Temescal Valley.

Earlier orders, which remain mandatory, include RVC zones 1725, 1798, 1865, 1866, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1999, 2074, 2142, 2143 — all of which can be viewed in a searchable map here. Other areas being evacuated immediately include the following:

• North of Riverside County/San Diego County line 
• South of Lake Elsinore near the base of Ortega Highway 
• East of Orange County/Riverside County line 
• West of South Main Divide Road/Grand Avenue  
• South of Wildomar Truck Trail
• West of Tenaja Road/Avendia La Cresta
• East of Los Alamos Truck Trail

Areas still under voluntary evacuation warnings include the following:

• RVC-1153-A, RVC-1265, RVC-1267, RVC-1269, RVC-1395, RVC-1396, RVC-1397, RVC-1398, RVC-1399, RVC-1400, RVC-1401, RVC-1402, RVC-1404, RVC-1405, RVC-1521, RVC-1522, RVC-1523, RVC-2076, RVC-2077, RVC-2145, RVC-2146, RVC-2147, RVC-2244 and RVC-2245. 
• North of San Diego County Line,
  South of Via Vista Grande,
  West of Los Agatos Road, Ivy Street, Grace Lane, Via Nortada,
  East of Corona Cala Camino, Tenaja Road, Calle Bandido, Avenida La Cresta, Via Majorca.

As the fire continued to move towards homes in the area, 1,300 of which they say are threatened, Cal Fire officials noted their concern about the "Elsinore Effect," which are up-canyon winds that are normal during the day but switch directions in the afternoon, blowing down-canyon towards homes in the foothills. 

"We are actively trying to go as direct as we can with the fire," said Cal Fire's Todd Hopkins. "We have 45 surge engines into the community of El Cariso, plus I believe we sent three more surge strike teams from Orange County over into El Cariso that is doing their best efforts to defend any structures."

Authorities have established three evacuation points for residents:

• Jurupa Valley Animal Shelter: 6851 Van Buren Boulevard, Jurupa Valley, CA 92509
• Santiago High School 1395 E Foothill Pkwy, Corona, CA
• Temescal Canyon High School, located at 28755 El Toro Road in Lake Elsinore. 
  

School closures

Lake Elsinore Unified School District announced that all school campuses would be closed on Tuesday due to the intense smoke lingering over the area, with the fire raging just over the Santa Ana Mountains.   

"This decision is made out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our students, staff, community and first responders," said a statement from LEUSD officials. "We understand the impact this may have on our families and want to assure you that we will keep you informed throughout the day as the situation develops. Our primary focus is the safety of our school communities."

Late Tuesday, they announced that school was again canceled for the following day as the fire continued to move closer to their area. 

Additionally, Corona-Norco Unified School District opted to close Wilson Elementary School, Temescal Valley Elementary School and Todd Elementary Schools on Tuesday due to the proximity of the fire.

In Orange County, both Robinson Elementary School and Trabuco Elementary School, with the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Santa Margarita Catholic High School, in nearby Rancho Santa Margarita, was also expected to remain closed on Wednesday after being closed the day prior.

Many residents took to social media to report the raining ash in the area, extending as far south as Temecula on Monday evening. 

The latest evacuations, warnings and other information for those affected can be found here.