Airport fire’s forward progress stopped as containment starts to climb

Firefighters were dealing with rough terrain and increasing exhaustion on Friday, Sept 13 as the Airport fire entered it’s fifth day, with containment of the 23,494-acre blaze up from 5% to 8%.

“There shouldn’t be any more forward progress of the fire,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Paul Holaday said. “Today our crews are going to be working on getting those containment lines, and getting that containment number up.”

Containment is the percentage of the fire’s border that authorities believe the flames won’t cross.

Here’s what we know

Acres burned: 23,494
Containment: 8%
Structures Burned: At least 28
Homes/People evacuated: 5,500 homes and more than 19,000 residents
Fire Personnel: 771
Cause of fire: Unintentional due to heavy equipment
When it started: Monday, Sept. 9th

In addition to focusing on perimeter control on Friday, firefighters were prioritizing a few problem areas. There were still open fire lines in Riverside County and the Santiago Peak area, Holaday said, with some potential for the blaze to head into Orange County’s Trabuco and Silverado Canyon areas.

Nearly 21,993 residents have been at risk since the fire began on Monday afternoon, Sept. 9, according to Cal Fire. A total of 21,993 homes and structures were threatened at some point this week, though a current number was not available on Friday.

“As we get late into the fire, fatigue is going to start setting in, and our guys are going to make sure they’re watching out for each other,” Holaday said. “Terrain’s going to be an issue, like it has been all fire, but this is what we train for and we’re going to get the job done.”

At least 28 structures have been destroyed and an additional three damaged, OCFA Capt. Greg Barta said. Crews have been unable to access Holy Jim Canyon, where cabin owners reported over two dozen lost homes. A spokesperson for the Cleveland National Forest could not be reached for comment.

Several evacuation orders and warnings in Riverside and Orange counties were still in effect, though others have been downgraded.

OCFA said 28 structures had been destroyed, and three more damaged. Several homes in Lake Elsinore were also among the losses. In Holy Jim Canyon 27 cabins were also destroyed, according to owners, a few of whom ventured to the remains of their properties on Tuesday. Authorities say they have been unable to access the area to confirm those numbers.

An Orange County public works crews working near a remote-controlled airfield in Trabuco Canyon about 1 p.m. Monday unintentionally sparked the blaze while moving boulders.

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