Within 30 minutes, the fire had already scorched seven acres, expanding to 800 acres by 4 p.m., and reaching 1,300 acres just 30 minutes later, according to fire officials. As of 8 p.m. Monday, the fire remained at 0% containment and was moving up the canyon, away from nearby communities in Robinson Ranch, according to Orange County Fire Authority Deputy Chief TJ McGovern during a Monday evening news conference.
Fire investigators concluded that the fire was accidental, sparked by heavy equipment being used to place large boulders on Trabuco Creek Road, according to McGovern. "The workers were moving boulders to block access to the vegetation to keep people out, given the current weather conditions and the increasing risk from the dry fuels,"
he explained. Two firefighters suffered heat-related injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital, while a civilian was also hospitalized due to smoke inhalation.
According to McGovern, approximately 1,000 firefighters were on the scene, and no properties had been damaged. Firefighters were battling the blaze both on the ground and from the air, utilizing water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The primary focus has been on protecting nearby homes,
stated Orange County Fire Authority Captain Sean Doran. “We’re concentrating our efforts on defending those communities,” he said. “Our top priority is ensuring that if any homes or people are threatened, we have a strong presence to respond immediately.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department advised residents living on Rose Canyon Road, Trabuco Creek Road, Trabuco Canyon Road, Trabuco Oaks Drive, Joplin Loop, and Cook’s Corner to evacuate. Additionally, homes in the Robinson Ranch and Trabuco Highlands communities in Trabuco Canyon were subject to mandatory evacuation orders.
A temporary evacuation center has been set up at Lake Forest Sports Park, located at 28000 Vista Terrace, and will remain open until 10 p.m. on Monday. For long-term shelter needs, the Bell Tower Regional Community Center at 22232 El Paseo in Rancho Santa Margarita is available. Additionally, a large-animal shelter has been established at 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa.
The fire ignited during a prolonged heat wave that had been scorching Southern California for days. On Monday afternoon, temperatures in the Orange County canyon community soared into the high 90s, with an excessive heat warning in effect through Tuesday night, according to Sam Zuber, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego. Firefighters in the area were not expected to get much relief overnight, as temperatures were predicted to remain in the 70s with humidity around 35%, Zuber noted. The excessive heat warning covered inland areas of Orange County until 8 p.m. Tuesday, per the National Weather Service, while an air quality alert due to increased fine particle pollution from wildfire smoke was also in place until 11 p.m. Tuesday.
The fire was burning with such intensity that it generated pyrocumulonimbus clouds, also known as thunder clouds, which can produce strong winds and lightning strikes. Similar clouds were observed over the weekend above the Line fire in San Bernardino County. "It doesn’t appear that there’s any lightning within the cloud yet," Zuber said, "but unfortunately, this is just the beginning, so if the fire gets stronger, hotter, or larger, lightning is definitely not out of the question."
Nicole Bennigsdorf, 40, has lived in the foothills of Trabuco Canyon for over 12 years and has experienced about five fires in the area. However, none had ever come close enough to her Rancho Santa Margarita home for her to see actual flames. "I can see the red-orange embers on the ridge, which I’ve never seen before," she said, standing outside her home about seven miles south of the fire.
After seeing news of the fire on social media platform X on Monday afternoon, Bennigsdorf stepped outside around 3 p.m. to find hot, muggy air and a large plume of smoke in the distance. "It was a very defined plume, very dark, and it was much windier outside than it was at 2 p.m. The base of the fire just kept growing wider and wider," she said.
By 4 p.m., the neighborhood was filled with the sounds of helicopters flying in and out of the smoke, as three or four aircraft at a time dropped water and retardant on the fire. "This is the largest fire I’ve seen, and it’s definitely been the hottest and muggiest weather we’ve had, making it brutal out here," she said. "I’m drenched in sweat just standing still outside."
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