COASTAL OC FIRE BURNS 20 HOMES
Area residents are evacuated as high winds spread embers and flames
A small wildfire that broke out Wednesday in brush near Laguna Niguel quickly grew to 200 acres in windy and dry conditions, burning about 20 homes and prompting the evacuation of nearby residences and a luxury resort, fire officials said.
About 100 homes were potentially in the path of the Coastal fire, Orange County sheriff's Capt. Virgil Asuncion said. Multimillion-dollar homes on Coronado Pointe Drive, Vista Court and Via Las Rosa, as well as The Ranch golf course and resort, were evacuated. In addition, residents near Moulton Meadows and Balbo Nyes in Laguna Beach were advised to be prepared to flee at a moment's notice.
The fire was reported at 2:44 p.m. in Aliso Woods Canyon, near a water treatment facility, and swept rapidly up steep terrain. It had burned about 3 acres as of 3:30 p.m., Orange County Fire Capt. Sean Doran said. By about 4:45 p.m., flames had crossed an access road and began moving toward homes. The fire continued to spread and grew to consume about 200 acres by about 7:30 p.m., Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy said.
As the first homes began to burn, embers were cast into nearby crawl spaces and attics, igniting others from within, Fennessy said during a news conference Wednesday evening. Smoke was seen pouring out of several houses that were eventually engulfed by flames in TV news helicopter footage broadcast live from the
scene. Fennessy estimated 20 homes had burned. The exact number damaged and destroyed would be determined by assessment teams beginning today.
There were no reports of any injuries as of 8 p.m., Fennessy said. A temporary shelter was set up at Crown Valley Community Center on Crown Valley Parkway.
Sue Price walked into the community center with help from her two neighbors, Celinda Garza and Tara Whittaker.
“The girls told me, ‘We’re going and you’re going with us,’” Price, 85, said.
Then she pointed out a kitty in a carrier Garza was carrying for her. In it was an orange and white tabby cat.
“I just got him for Mother’s Day from my son,” Price said. “I haven’t even named him.”
Along with the cat, Price brought some food for the kitty and her own medication.
The three were among several dozen who had taken shelter at the community center. The shelter had a place for pets, kids and a general location where folks could watch the news on big screens. There was also food donated by local restaurants.
An OCFA chaplain was also on hand to offer assistance to anyone who needed it.
Ground and air crews from the OCFA, the Laguna Beach Fire Department, Cal Fire and assisting agencies were working into the night to extinguish the flames.
Winds gusting up to 20 mph were fanning the flames, and relative humidity in the area was measured at 52 percent, National Weather Service Meteorologists Mark Moede said.
“Gusts were up to 25 mph when the fire started,” Moede said at about 5 p.m. “It will stay breezy for the next hour or so, but should dropoff as the sun drops below the horizon.”
The winds that drove the fire were not especially strong, Fennessy said.
“The big difference is, and were seeing it again, y’know, with the climate change,” Fennessy said. “The fuel beds in this county, throughout Southern California, throughout the West are so dry that fire like this is going to be more commonplace. Five years ago, 10 years ago, a fire like this would likely have been stopped very small.”
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
The last major fire in the area was the Emerald fire on Feb. 24. The earlier fire grew to about 150 acres before it was extinguished.