Airport Fire Pushes Towards Riverside County

INCIDENT DATE/TIME: 9-11-24, 12 A.M.
LOCATION: ORTEGA HIGHWAY
AREA/CITY: ORTEGA HIGHWAY
DETAILS:

LAKE ELSINORE – With a rapidly expanding brush fire pushing into Riverside County, evacuation orders and warnings were in place for some residents near Lake Elsinore and in the general vicinity of the burn zone, and some schools will remain closed Wednesday.

Many neighborhoods in the general area of the 19,000-acre Airport Fire were already under evacuation warnings as the blaze spread Tuesday. But early Tuesday afternoon, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for an area generally north of the San Diego County line, east of the Orange County line, south of Lake Elsinore near the base of Ortega Highway and west of South Main Divide Road/Grand Avenue.

An evacuation center was established at Santiago High School, 1395 E. Foothill Parkway, Corona. Large animals can be taken to the Jurupa Valley Animal Shelter, 6851 Van Buren Blvd., according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

An interactive map of evacuation areas for residents to determine if they are affected was available online at https://go.genasys.com/v7iaww.

The flames advanced rapidly into Riverside County Tuesday, and video showed what appeared to be at least one structure burning in the Lake Elsinore area.

The Corona-Norco Unified School District opted to close Wilson, Temescal Valley and Todd elementary schools Tuesday due to the proximity of the fire and the resulting poor air quality. It was unclear Tuesday night if those schools will reopen Wednesday.

All schools in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District were closed Tuesday, and they will remain shuttered on Wednesday. All before- and after- school activities were also canceled.

The Airport Fire began about 1 p.m. Monday near Trabuco Canyon Road in the area of the remote-controlled airplane airport, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Sean Doran.

As of Tuesday morning, the blaze had expanded to 9,300 acres “and is growing,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said. It was estimated at 10,000 acres Tuesday afternoon, and by Tuesday evening Cal Fire put the blaze at 19,028 acres.

“It has crested the north main divide and gone into Riverside County,” Concialdi said earlier Tuesday.

The blaze also bore down on Santiago Peak, which is home to a series of radio and television broadcast towers, used not only by local media outlets but also federal and local government agencies. The flames appeared to push right up to the base of some towers, but the equipment appeared to escape any major damage.

Concialdi said crews were working to protect the peak by had to withdraw from the area because the flames got “too intense.”

The blaze, which had zero containment as of Tuesday afternoon, was still burning through “dense vegetation,” but was “burning toward Ortega Highway,” where there are residences, Concialdi said.

Ortega Highway was closed between Grand Avenue and Nichols Institute. The area had been under a voluntary evacuation warning, but late Tuesday morning, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for areas along the highway near Caspers Park.

A mandatory evacuation order was previously issued for the Robinson Ranch community in Rancho Santa Margarita. Voluntary evacuation warnings were in place for residents on Rose Canyon Road, Trabuco Creek Road, Trabuco Canyon Road, Trabuco Oaks Drive, Joplin Loop and Cook’s Corner. Evacution warnings were issued Tuesday for Silverado and Modjeska canyons.

A “care and reception shelter” for Orange County evacuees was established at the Rancho Santa Margarita Bell Tour Regional Community Center, 22232 El Paseo. Large animals can be sheltered at the Orange County Fair Grounds, 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa.

Officials said “much of the terrain is steep and extremely difficult to access,” putting increased reliance on water- and retardant-dropping aircraft.

There were no reports of any serious injuries or structural damage.

Orange County Fire Authority Deputy Chief TJ McGovern told reporters Monday night that the fire was accidentally sparked by a county work crew. McGovern said Orange County Public Works crews were working in the area near Trabuco Creek Road, using heavy equipment to place boulders meant to replace barriers used to restrict access to the vegetation.


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