Friday, March 29

Coastal fire burns 20 homes, forces evacuations in Laguna Niguel – Orange County Register


A small wildfire that broke out Wednesday in brush near Laguna Niguel quickly grew to 200 acres in windy and dry conditions, burned about 20 homes and prompted 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. Multi-million 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 pm in Aliso Woods Canyon, near a water treatment facility, and swept rapidly up steep terrain. It had burned about three acres as of 3:30 pm, Orange County Fire Capt. Sean Doran said. By about 4:45 pm, 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 pm, OCFA Chief Brian Fennessy said.

As the first homes began to burn, embers were cast into nearby crawlspaces 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.

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There were no reports of any injuries as of 8 pm, Fennessy said. Officials with the city of Laguna Niguel said a temporary shelter was set up at Crown Valley Community Center on Crown Valley Parkway.

Ground and air crews from the OCFA, the Laguna Beach Fire Department and assisting agencies were working to extinguish the flames.

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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 pm “It will stay breezy for the next hour or so, but should drop-off as the sun drops below the horizon.”

The winds that drove the fire were not especially strong, Fennessy said.

“The big difference is, and we 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.

Residents from Niguel Ridge perched on a hill across from the fire Wednesday afternoon staring at the thick, dark gray smoke. A few remark how sad it was to see the smoke, knowing homes are burning.

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.

Check back for updates.




www.ocregister.com

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