Airport Fire destroys homes as it explodes to 22,000 acres across Orange and Riverside counties
The Airport Fire burning in Orange and Riverside Counties has destroyed homes, injured at least seven people and burned more than 22,000 acres as of Wednesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
It's one of three wildfires tearing through tens of thousands of acres in Southern California this week.
The blaze exploded in size overnight Monday in Orange County's Trabuco Canyon as flames, spurred by west winds, traveled east into Riverside County. By Wednesday morning, the Airport Fire reached 22,376 acres and was 0% contained. Evacuation orders and warnings for thousands remain in place.
Photos: Airport Fire burns homes and tens of thousands of acres in Orange, Riverside Counties
The fire's path continued onto Santiago Peak, threatening a series of radio and television broadcast towers, used not only by local media outlets but also by federal and local government agencies. The fire creeped up to the base of some of the towers, but the equipment appeared to escape any serious damage.
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.
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.
Evacuation warnings were issued Tuesday for Silverado and Modjeska canyons.
The Orange County Fire Authority dubbed it the Airport Fire as it started 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.
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.
On 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. The following day, Cal Fire said it was continuing to spread.
"The fire continues to spread with the southeastern fronts showing the most growth," Cal Fire officials said in an update Wednesday morning. "The fire made several significant runs at the Santiago Peak communications array this morning."
And the blaze is now threatening new areas.
"The fire has crossed Ortega Highway and is actively impinging upon structures in the area," the 6:40 a.m. update from Cal Fire reads. "As of this posting, it is unknown how many, or to what extent."
Evacuations orders
Orange County:
- Zones: ELC01, RSM03, ORT01.
Riverside County:
Zones: LSN-1524, LSN-1525, LSN-1526, LSN-1623, LSN-1624, LSN-1625, LSN-1626, LSN-1627, LSN-1799, LSN-1803, RVC-1622, RVC-1724, RVC-1726, RVC-1728, RVC-1729, RVC-1800, RVC-1801, RVC-1804, RVC-1806, RVC-1807, RVC-1808, RVC-1809, RVC-1810, RVC-1867, RVC-1868, RVC-1870, RVC-1936, RVC-1521, RVC-1725, RVC-1798, RVC-1865, RVC-1866, RVC-1933, RVC-1934, RVC-1935, RVC-1999, RVC-2074, RVC-2142, RVC-2143, RVC-1802, RVC-2000, RVC-2075, RVC-2144, RVC-2197, RVC-2243
North of San Diego/Riverside County Line, South of Orange County Line, East of Orange County Line, West of S Main Divide/Grand Ave
Evacuation warnings
Orange County:
- Zones: CDC01, CDC02, MOD01, RSM01, RSM02, SIL01, TBU01
Riverside County:
- Zones: RVC-2076, RVC-2145, RVC-2147, RVC-2245, RVC-2077, RVC-2146, RVC-2244, RVC-1265, RVC-1269, RVC-1396, RVC-1398, RVC-1400, RVC-1402, RVC-1405, RVC-1523, RVC-1267, RVC-1395, RVC-1397, RVC-1399, RVC-1401, RVC-1404, RVC-1522, RVC-1153-A
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 at 6851 Van Buren Boulevard, Jurupa Valley, CA 92509
- Santiago High School at 1395 E Foothill Pkwy, Corona, CA
- Temescal Canyon High School 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.