Airport fire in OC’s Trabuco Canyon quickly grows to 1,900 acres, evacuations ordered in Rancho Santa Margarita – Orange County Register

A brush fire broke out Monday afternoon, Sept. 9, and quickly burned 1,900 acres near the site of a radio-control flying club in Trabuco Canyon — prompting authorities to issue an evacuation orders and warnings for nearby residents in Rancho Santa Margarita, authorities said.

The blaze began about 1:30 p.m. along the 32200 block of Trabuco Creek Road, near the Trabuco Flyers Club, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Sean Doran.

The fire had charred about 7 acres around 2 p.m., and jumped to around 1,900 acres within three hours.

• Also see: This map shows the location of the Airport fire burning in Trabuco Canyon

Simon Turner, a member of the Trabuco Flyers Club and a former board member, said the club’s vice president got a call shortly after the fire was spotted. He headed over to the property, which was locked and no one was there.

There was no one flying the radio-controlled planes at the time, Turner said.

The club has a good relationship with local fire authorities, Turner emphasized, offering use of its parking lot and runway when needed for staging areas. The club shuts down on red flag days and keeps vegetation trimmed back on the property and has the proper equipment on site, he said.

Light wind gusts were blowing the flames farther into the brush and away from nearby residences, Doran said.

But around 2:45 p.m., residents in the areas near Rose Canyon Road, Trabuco Creek Road, Trabuco Canyon Road, Trabuco Oaks Drive, Joplin Loop and Cook’s Corner were under an evacuation warning.

Residents along Meander Lane were ordered to evacuate around 3 p.m., with residents in the Robinson Ranch community, along Robinson Ranch Road and Shadow Rock Lane, ordered to evacuate soon after, officials said. The O’Neill Regional Park campgrounds were also closed to the public.

Residents under evacuation who opted to remain in their homes were instructed by Orange County Sheriff’s deputies to sign a “refusal to evacuate” notice, telling them that failure to evacuate after enforcement from authorities is a misdemeanor and resources might not be available to them in the future should they choose to evacuate later.

School districts in Orange County said they are monitoring the fire, and two elementary schools announced closures for Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Robinson and Trabuco elementary schools canceled all instruction, before and after school care, and other activities, Saddleback Valley Unified School District said in a message on its website. The two schools plan to resume normal operations on Wednesday “contingent on further guidance” from the   Sheriff’s Department and the OCFA.

Meanwhile, schools in the nearby Capistrano Unified and Irvine Unified districts — on either side of Saddleback Valley Unified — plan to remain open, as of Monday evening. IUSD spokesperson Annie Brown said Irvine schools will adjust outdoor activities based on air quality standards to ensure student safety.

Around 6 p.m., authorities announced road closures for intersections including: Plano Trabuco Road and Joshua Drive, Plano Trabuco Road and Robinson Ranch Road, Antonio Parkway and Alas de Paz, Trabuco Canyon and Trabuco Creek roads, Santa Margarita and Antonio parkways, and Avenida Empresa and Santa Margarita Parkway.

Vehicles trying to get to homes in Robinson Ranch were being turned around on Plano Trabuco Road. A Smart & Final parking lot was full of cars and several people were lined up craning their necks to see the fire as it burned on a ridge in the distance.

Lake Forest residents Lizeth Juarez and Javier Campos were at the Lake Forest Sports Park sitting with their dog watching the fire.

Juarez examined a line of flames crawl northwest up the hills with a large pair of binoculars.

“We are not capable to imagine the impact that it has on the nature, so it’s horrible,” Juarez said.

Roxana Subiran and Ivette Puente watched on as well.

Puente said they saw the same flames earlier but they were no longer visible by 5 p.m.

“(The flames) were pretty aggressive,” Subiran said. She said her best friend lived at one of the homes in the evacuation area and was  deciding what to take.

“What do you grab, what do you do?” Subiran said.

“Nothing, just run,” Puente replied.

A reception shelter was established for evacuated residents at the Rancho Santa Margarita Bell Tour Regional Community Center, at 22232 El Paseo, in Rancho Santa Margarita

Two animal shelters were also set up: one for large animals at the Orange County Fair Grounds, at 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa, and another at a Ralphs parking lot, located at 31481 Santa Margarita Parkway.

Sherry Fankhauser, who lives along Meander Lane, said her and her family had their bags packed and ready to go on Monday.

“Things keep changing as time goes on,” she said. “It got really scary for awhile with the fire moving across the ridge behind the water towers in Robinson Ranch.”

Fankhauser said around 4 p.m. that the fire appeared to be turning eastward down the ridge and away from the neighborhood.

“The firefighters are here going door to door helping residents stow away their propane tanks,” Fankhauser said. “There’s lots of black and brown smoke coming over the ridge but we can’t see the flames, which makes it harder for us to see where it is in location to us.”

Brandon Smith and his family had just returned home Monday afternoon after vacationing at Lake Havasu. While his family was unpacking, he saw his neighbors on Millstream Road starting to  pack up.

At 5:15 p.m., he was sitting atop his truck bed watching firefighters drop retardant on flames visible from his front yard.

“We’re gonna head out on our e-bikes to go grab dinner,” he said, “‘Because we can’t drive our truck back in here if we leave.”

Smith wasn’t worried about evacuating immediately, but said if the wind changed they would consider going. Several other neighbors nearby watched the fire from Millstream Road as a sheriff’s deputy walked door to door advising residents about the ongoing evacuation order.

Engine strike teams, hand crews, bulldozers, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft were assigned to the fire, including the OCFA’s new Firehawk helicopters.

The cause of the fire was under investigation and no injuries had been reported.

Staff photographer Jeff Gritchen contributed to this story.

Originally Published: September 9, 2024 at 2:19 p.m.