A resident stops to watch the Airport Fire burn near his home as he evacuates his dogs Tuesday.
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Wally Skalij
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
Two civilians and 10 firefighters have been injured in the Airport Fire in Orange County, which as of Wednesday afternoon had burned more than 22,000 acres and prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency.
Who was injured: One of the civilians sustained unspecified burns and the other had a "medical issue" according to Kevin Fetterman, a division chief at the Orange County Fire Authority who is serving as one of the unified incident commanders on the Airport Fire. He did not provide details on the medical issue.
The firefighters' injuries were minor, Fetterman said.
Keep reading... for more details and a map of evacuation zones.
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Get the latest on this fire and others:
Here are the 3 big Southern California fires we're watching closely
Two civilians and 10 firefighters have been injured in the Airport Fire in Orange County, which as of Wednesday afternoon had burned more than 22,000 acres and prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency.
The move by Gov. Gavin Newsom clears the way to approve state and federal funding to deal with the firefight and its aftermath. Newsom also declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties because of the Bridge Fire.
One of the civilians sustained unspecified burns and the other had a "medical issue" according to Kevin Fetterman, a division chief at the Orange County Fire Authority. He did not provide details on the medical issue.
The firefighters' injuries were minor, Fetterman said.
The Airport Fire, which ignited Monday afternoon in Trabuco Canyon near the city of Rancho Santa Margarita, prompted evacuations but so far no structures have been reported destroyed. Some structures off Ortega Highway — known as Highway 74 — have been either damaged or destroyed but the scope of the damage is unclear, Fetterman said. He did not give an exact location.
One family was airlifted to safety from a nearby trail, authorities said.
The basics
Acreage: 22,376 acres as Wednesday morning
Containment: 0%
Structures destroyed: An unknown number off Ortega Highway
Deaths: None
Injuries: 12 — three civilians and 10 firefighters
Cause: Spark from heavy equipment
How the fire started
On Monday at about 1:30 p.m., an Orange County public works employee using heavy equipment to move boulders inadvertently started the Airport Fire in Trabuco Canyon, along Trabuco Creek Road, according to fire officials.
"After placing a load of boulders, the operators began seeing smoke coming from the area of the loaders basket," Orange County Fire Authority Deputy Chief TJ McGovern said during a news briefing Monday night. "The operator and the supervisor used multiple fire extinguishers and the loaders to attempt to extinguish the fire while 911 was being called."
Firefighters rushed to try to contain the fire, fueled by high temperatures and dry brush. Flames threatened homes and infrastructure a little more than an hour after it started.
The Airport Fire in Trabuco Canyon was first reported around 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
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California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
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On nearby Joplin Trail, sheriff's helicopters rescued a husband and wife who were hiking with their 3 year old, airlifting them to the nearby RC Airplane Airport. A Trabuco Canyon resident was rescued along with his cat, according to Capt. Steve Concialdi from the Orange County Fire Authority.
As of late Tuesday, no homes have been destroyed, and crews protected radio infrastructure using back burns.
"When it gets hot and dry and the fuel moisture is extremely low in the vegetation, these fires can happen. And unfortunately it did," said Concialdi. "They were trying to prevent other fires by putting those boulders so that people wouldn't go back in there with off road vehicles, motorcycles, so forth."
I don't have equipment at this site, but as @Poketrevor45 pointed out to me, the Santiago Pk transmitter site in Orange County just burned in the last couple of hours. Insane footage. #AirportFirepic.twitter.com/lLaZwuU0oY
In California, human actions — intentional or accidental — are responsible for 95% of wildfire fires. As our colleagues at CalMatters reported earlier this year: Last year alone, people caused more than 7,000 wildfires in California; nationally, it was more than 50,000.
Evacuation map and orders
Evacuation orders have been issued for the following areas:
Robinson Ranch neighborhood in Rancho Santa Margarita
Rancho Carrillo.
Hot Springs Canyon
Casper's Park
Blue Jay Campground
Falcon Campground
San Juan Campground
Ortega Highway corridor.
Evacuation warnings have been issued for communities in both Orange and Riverside counties. See a complete list here.
Ralph’s Supermarket parking lot, 31841 Santa Margarita Parkway; Rancho Santa Margarita (small animals)
OC Animal Care, 1630 Victory Road; Tustin (small animals)
Riverside County
Jurupa Valley Animal Shelter: 6851 Van Buren Blvd., Jurupa Valley
An additional Large Animal Shelter is available at the Murrieta Equestrian Center located at 42670 Juniper St., Murrieta. Basic food and water are available at animal shelters. If your pets/animals have special diets or special needs, please bring special food or medications with your animals.
Riverside County residents needing assistance with large animal evacuations can call (951) 358-7387.
