A brush fire that broke out Monday afternoon in the hills of Orange County in Southern California exploded to nearly 2,000 acres in a few hours, prompting evacuation orders for nearby communities as the blaze burned uncontrollably.
known as Airport fireIt started about 15 miles east of Irvine, Calif., near the airport for the remote-controlled model airplane just before 1:30 p.m. Officials ordered evacuations for parts of Trabuco Canyon, a community in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, and recommended evacuations for surrounding areas as well.
The fires broke out during a prolonged heat wave that has pushed temperatures into the triple digits in many parts of Southern California in recent days. The fire, which started Thursday in the San Bernardino Mountains, about 55 miles northeast of Trebuco Canyon, threatens more than 33,000 structures and is only 5 percent contained.
In Trabuco Canyon, temperatures reached about 98 degrees Monday, well above normal for early September, said Samantha Zuber, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego. Wind gusts were 15 mph, she said.
Winds are expected to ease by evening, but overnight temperatures will remain unusually high, unlikely to drop below 70 degrees, she said. Such has been the situation Accelerating forest fires in the state All summer long. “Unfortunately, the temperature won’t be that cold,” Ms Zuber said.
She said temperatures in the fire zone will begin to drop Tuesday — before a significant cool down — with a high expected of 95, which is forecast to begin Wednesday and continue through the rest of the week.
The fire started in a rural area where narrow roads and single-family homes are tucked between steep, brushy canyons. It is a popular area for hiking and motorcycling. Valleys quickly give way to gated communities filled with expensive homes that offer close access to nature. The area also has strip malls and wide, well-maintained streets.
Eric Nelson, president of Trebuco Flyers, which oversees a flying field for remote-controlled airplanes, said the fire appears to have started on a neighboring property. So far, the wind has been blowing away from the flying field, where up to 120 people gather on weekends to fly remote-controlled planes.
“Let’s keep praying the wind doesn’t change and start coming out of the east – then we’re going to be in trouble,” said Mr Nelson, who added that high temperatures had kept people off the farm in recent days. “My goodness, we had such a hot spell.”
Further north, another large fire has prompted thousands of people to evacuate in northern Nevada and was problematic enough to force the Harris-Wolz campaign to cancel a rally scheduled for Monday. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was scheduled to headline an event in Reno, Nev., but instead spoke to volunteers and met with emergency workers at a local field office.
Mr. Walz kept his brief remarks focused on the fires, but the Nevada Republican Party argued on X that the campaign is “using the current wildfire crisis as a political ploy.”
California had an already difficult start to the fire season after two consecutive wet winters led to heavy vegetation growth across the state. Scorching temperatures this summer have dried up the bounty of grass and brush, turning into plenty of dry fuel.
The Park Fire in Chico, California on July 24 quickly became the fourth largest wildfire in California history, burning over 429,000 acres. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, this fire alone has burned more acres than all the fires in California last year.
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