A wildfire that broke out in Orange County Monday afternoon grew to about 800 acres in two hours and prompted evacuations.
The fire, dubbed the “airport fire,” started around 1:30 p.m. along the 32200 block of Trabuco Creek Road, near an airport for remote-controlled aircraft in Trabuco Canyon. By 2 p.m., it had burned at least 100 nautical miles. at least 7 acres but grew to 292 acres by 3 p.m. An hour later it had grown to 800 acres, according to fire officials.
“Firefighters are battling the fire from the ground and from the air,” the Orange County Fire Authority wrote in a post on X. “This includes fire crews, hand-operated firefighting teams, dozers, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.”
The Orange County Sheriff's Department urged residents living along Rose Canyon Road, Trabuco Creek Road, Trabuco Canyon Road, Trabuco Oaks Drive, Joplin Loop and Cook's Corner to evacuate. Homes in the Robinson Ranch community in Trabuco Canyon are under mandatory evacuation orders.
A temporary evacuation center has been established at the Lake Forest Sports Complex at 28000 Vista Terrace in Lake Forest.
Authorities have not determined the cause of the fire.
The fire broke out amid a prolonged heat wave that has gripped Southern California for days. Temperatures in the Orange County canyon community reached triple digits Monday afternoon and an excessive heat warning remained in effect through Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
