Wildfire Erupts in Orange County, Forcing Evacuations
The New York Times
A small brush fire in Southern California quickly grew to over 5,000 acres, threatening nearby suburban neighborhoods.
A brush fire that erupted on Monday afternoon in the hills of Orange County in Southern California exploded to more than 5,000 acres within a few hours, prompting evacuation orders for nearby communities as the blaze burned uncontrolled.
Known as the Airport fire, it began just before 1:30 p.m. about 15 miles east of Irvine, Calif., near an airport for remote-controlled model airplanes. Officials ordered evacuations in parts of Trabuco Canyon, a community in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, and recommended evacuations for surrounding neighborhoods.
The fire broke out during a prolonged heat wave that has pushed temperatures in many parts of Southern California into the triple digits in recent days. It was one of several threatening the region on Monday night.
A brush fire in Los Angeles County, known as the Bridge fire, grew to nearly 3,000 acres on Monday, a day after breaking out in the Angeles National Forest. It was 0 percent contained as of Monday evening.
Another blaze, the Line fire, began on Thursday in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, about 55 miles northeast of Trabuco Canyon. As of Monday night it had swelled to threaten more than 38,000 structures and was only 5 percent contained.
In Trabuco Canyon, temperatures reached about 98 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, above normal for early September, said Samantha Zuber, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego. Wind speeds were about 15 miles per hour, she said.
