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The Airport Fire was burning over 9,300 acres by noon on Tuesday and was officially declared a county emergency, with leaders of Orange County’s emergency response team warning the fire is headed toward the county canyons.
Michelle Anderson, director of the sheriff’s department emergency management division, announced evacuation warnings for the Silverado and Modjeska Canyons at the OC Board of Supervisors meeting board meeting on Tuesday morning.
“It’s shifting toward the canyons at this time,” Anderson told county supervisors just before noon on Tuesday. “We can’t really predict where the wind is going to go next.”
Shortly after the meeting, the OC Fire Authority announced an evacuation warning for portions of Coto de Caza.
Officials already called for mandatory evacuations in parts of Rancho Santa Margarita’s Robinson Ranch Monday, along with evacuation orders for homes in the Trabuco Highlands Homeowners Association and the Trabuco Highland Apartment Complex.
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Officials have also closed many of the roads leading up to the canyons including portions of Ortega Highway that are also under evacuation orders.
At Monday night’s news conference, OCFA Deputy Chief of Operation TJ McGovern said OC Public Works staff accidentally started the fire Monday afternoon when a spark from heavy equipment happened as they were placing boulders to block off vegetation on Trabuco Creek road.
McGovern said by morning “we’re hoping to get some small number out on the containment,” which was 0% on Monday night.
According to a Tuesday morning situation report from CalFire, the fire was 0% contained.
Evacuation centers offering a safe place to stay and meals run by the American Red Cross are open at the Bell Tower Regional Community Center in Rancho Santa Margarita and Santiago High School in Corona.
A large animal shelter has been set up at the OC Fairgrounds.
Orange County isn’t alone in battling a wildfire.
San Bernardino County is grappling with a roughly 23,000-acre fire as of Monday afternoon. There’s a host of mandatory evacuations for residents living near the wildfire.
Officials are also dealing with a roughly 900-acre fire near Camp Pendleton.
“We’ve been watching the fires in Northern California burn for the last couple years,” said Newport Beach Fire Chief Jeff Boyles at the OC Board of Supervisors’ meeting. “We’re being flanked right now … it’s Southern California’s turn, the Santa Ana winds haven’t even started yet.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @NBiesiada.
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