As of Wednesday afternoon, the Airport Fire in Trabuco Canyon burned over 22,000 acres and continues to spread in Orange and Riverside Counties. The fire’s growth has prompted thousands of evacuations since it began on Monday, following triple-digit temperatures in Southern California.
According to Cal Fire, the fire is currently 0% contained. Two civilians and five firefighters have been injured. Officials confirmed building damages along Ortega Highway.
The fire began at approximately 1:21 p.m. on Monday in the 32200 block of Trabuco Creek Road, an unincorporated area in Orange County near the Trabuco Flyers airport for model aircraft. In a Monday press conference, Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and local officials announced the cause of the fire to be unintentional due to heavy machinery use. On Monday morning, OC Public Works employees noticed a spark after using equipment to move boulders.
Responders initially arrived on-site to a half-acre fire burning in the canyon and immediately requested additional help, according to OCFA Deputy Chief of Operations TJ McGovern. At 6:08 a.m. on Tuesday, OCFA reported that the fire grew to 7 acres in a post on X. Approximately 2 hours later, OCFA announced the fire was estimated at 1,300 acres.
During the course of the fire, mandatory evacuation notices were issued for over 45 zones in Orange and Riverside Counties, including areas in Rancho Santa Margarita, Rancho Carrillo, El Carrizo and more. Road closures due to the fire additionally impacted the Ortega Highway, Santiago Canyon Road, Trabuco Canyon Road and others.
Through Monday night, flames from the Airport Fire also affected Santiago Peak, threatening radio and broadcasting towers on the mountain. In a press conference on Tuesday, OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy stated that crews placed retardant around the structures in advance, but officials have yet to assess damage on the peak due to active fires. Communication has not been impacted.
“There were several times through last night and through today that the fire made additional runs at those towers. I don’t know if there’s any damage up there, but in talking with the sheriff communications and fire communications, we haven’t experienced any loss of communication,” Fennessy said.
As local agencies — such as California Highway Patrol, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Forest Service, Orange County Parks, California State Parks, Orange County Animal Control and more — collaborated to contain the Airport Fire and support firefighting efforts, authorities noted concerns of resource strain due to concurrent fires in Southern California.
The Airport Fire marks the third major fire in Southern California in the last seven days. The Line Fire, which began on Sept. 5 and has since spread to over 34,000 acres across San Bernardino County, and the Bridge Fire, which started on Sept. 8 and currently impacts over 46,000 acres in San Bernardino and Los Angeles Counties, continue to grow. Authorities estimate that the Line Fire is approximately 21% contained and the Bridge Fire is 3% contained.
“One of the challenges we’re having is competition with other large fires in Southern California,” Fennessy said in the Tuesday press conference. “All of these fires are drawing down on the limited resources available to us.”
Over 1,000 fire-fighting personnel are currently engaged or en route to the Airport Fire, according to OCFA Public Information Officer Paul Holaday from the press conference. Cal Fire identified 126 engines and seven helicopters among other resources dispatched to fight the flames and slow the fire’s growth.
Authorities noted the challenges in containing the Airport Fire related to dead vegetation and rough terrain. Periods of drought and high temperatures with low humidity in the region led to large areas of dry brush and chaparral — ideal conditions for rapidly growing fires. Additionally, terrain in areas like Decker Canyon in Riverside County make it difficult for ground personnel to access flames along steep slopes.
“There’s three things that really are driving this fire right now, and that’s weather, fuel and topography,” Tal Hayes, fire chief at the Cleveland National Forest, said during the press conference.
Changing wind patterns such as the “Elsinore effect,” named after Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, were also identified as a risk factor in the progression of the Airport Fire.
“[There is] a wind phenomenon that’s known as the Elsinore effect, where winds will burn downhill in the afternoons, so many of those community areas have been put into an evacuation order,” Todd Hopkins, unified incident commander for Cal Fire and division chief at the Riverside County Fire Department, said during the Tuesday press conference.
Assistant Sheriff John McCulloch from the OC Sheriff’s Department emphasized the urgency of mandatory evacuation notices, which indicate “an immediate threat to life” and an enforced order to leave the area immediately according to Cal Fire.
“We have strict guidelines that we go by when we declare mandatory evacuation orders, but I can tell you, it’s not taken lightly, and we work with our fire partners to determine the speed of the fire, the proximity of the fire, and really it’s for the safety of the residents,” McCulloch said during the press conference. “Safety is the highest priority. Property is always second.”
On Wednesday, a news release from California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state secured the federal Fire Management Assistance Grant, which gives reimbursement eligibility to local agencies spending resources to fight the Airport Fire. California received the same grant for the Line and Bridge Fires, as well as other fires earlier this year.
Local officials aim to continue efforts to suppress the Airport Fire through a combination of direct and indirect strategies, as well as ground and air initiatives such as night flying missions.
For community members affected by the fire, a shelter located at the Rancho Santa Margarita Bell Tower Community Center in Rancho Santa Margarita remains open 24 hours for residents. In Riverside County, shelters were also established at Santiago High School in Corona and Temescal Canyon High School in Lake Elsinore. For local pets, six centers for shelter and animal services are available.
Evacuation notices for affected communities are available through registration with AlertOC. Further resources and updates on the fire may be accessed through the OC Sheriff’s Department and their Public Information Hotline at (714) 628-7085.
Beatrice Lee is a 2024-2025 Assistant News Editor. She can be reached at beatrirl@uci.edu.
Edited by Kaelyn Kwon.
