A brush fire in Laguna Beach, California, broke out Thursday morning as a dry climate and hot winds helped spark a fire, prompting hundreds of residents to evacuate the area.
The fire, dubbed the Emerald fire, appeared in the ridgeline above the Emerald Bay gated community and burned 145 acres as of 12:30 p.m. EST. With 5% of the fire contained so far, Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy said no one has been harmed and no homes have been destroyed. No cause of the fire has been given.
“The fire spread is to the north, but the fire is not spreading rapidly at this time,” Fennessy said, according to CBS Los Angeles.
The fire is currently heading toward Newport Beach, Fennessy said, but it remains far enough away that the city is not affected. Strong winds are expected to continue pushing the fire over the next couple of days.
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Mandatory evacuation orders were given for the Emerald Bay and Irvine Cove communities within Laguna Beach. Other parts of the city, such as North Laguna, are under evacuation warnings.
“When you look around here, you couldn’t even tell there’s a fire going on,” Laguna Beach Fire Department Chief Mike Garcia said at a press conference. “There’s an active fire going on. It’s going the other way. You don’t see it. So, it’s easy for everybody to think, ‘Hey, it’s OK, we need to get back into our house. It should be OK.’ We’re telling you it’s not. This is subject to wind changes. And we’re monitoring that very close. This is a large team effort, and we’re taking safety very seriously.”
A team of five water-dropping helicopters and four California Fire air tankers teamed up to drop fire retardant on the blaze. Seventy-five engines, eight strike teams, five hand crews, and two bulldozers are helping from the ground. Fennessy said the plan is to use the air tankers to keep the fire on the ridgeline behind Emerald Bay and away from the multimillion-dollar homes.
Fennessy added that the fire came during the wet winter months, when the city is normally hit with rainstorms, instead of the dry climate that can trigger fires.
“We no longer have a fire season. We have a fire year,” Fennessy said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “It’s Feb. 10. This is supposed to be the middle of winter and we’re anticipating 80 to 90 degree weather. Even though the hillsides are green it doesn’t take but low humidity and wind to cause fires to occur. If this is any sign of what’s to come throughout the rest of the winter and spring we’re in for a long year.”
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Several homes were ruined in 1993, the last time the area had a brush fire. However, Fennessy said he feels the firefighters are more prepared this time.
The Newport Beach Fire Department, the California Department of Transportation, the city of Irvine, the city of Laguna Niguel, the city of Mission Viejo, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department are all helping to combat the fire.
