Airport Fire grows to 22K acres in Orange County; state of emergency declared

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."

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.

Get ready for fire season. Here's how to sign up for emergency alerts in Southern California

Evacuation shelters

For people:

Orange County

• RSM Bell Tower Community Center, 22232 El Paseo; Rancho Santa Margarita

Riverside County

• Temescal Canyon High School, 28755 El Toro Rd., Lake Elsinore
• Santiago High School, 1395 E. Foothill Pkwy, Corona
  

For animals

Orange County

• Orange County Fairgrounds: 88 Fair Drive; Costa Mesa (large animals)                
• Los Alamitos Race Course: 4961 Katella Avenue, Cypress (large animals)            
• Nohl Ranch Saddle Club: 6352 E. Nohl Ranch Rd. Anaheim (large animals)
• 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.

Resources to prep and cope with wildfire

• Listen to The Big Burn, our podcast that will get you motivated to get ready
• Wildfires are getting worse. What you need to know
• Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire burning near you
• Evacuation terms can be confusing. Here’s what they mean and how to sign up for alerts
• This is why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home
• What does 'containment' of a fire mean, exactly
• What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
• If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer

Editor Megan Garvey contributed to this report.