Fire: Santiago Canyon (area)

Small for now, but threatening 100 acres according to some tweets I saw. I can't see the smoke from Aliso where I work yet. Hopefully this stays small/contained. Also, I fully understand I might not have labeled this specific area correctly. I just wasn't sure what to call it (sorry!).

 

That is the 2nd fire in that area in the last 2 weeks.

2 Thursdays ago there was a fire burning between the toll road and Santiago Cyn Rd at the SCR off ramp and EOC Bridge.

 

I'm listening to the feed (<a class="postlink" href="http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/1897/web" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/1897/web</a>) (slow morning at work!) and they are now evacuating Irvine Lake as it's jumped 241 and moving hard on the lake. They've got a fixed wing tanker in route to drop on it too.

 

Fixed wing is circling the lake...and the fire...here's the view from 2 miles south of the fire, on the other side of the ridge...the county's emergency command post is on top of the peak in the picture...

 

Smells like ashtray outside this morning. Yum.

 

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fire-671590-road-spark.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fire ... spark.html</a>

"A Caltrans crew was using an industrial-size mower Monday morning when the driver hit a hard object, causing a spark which caused a fire that quickly grew from the size of a car, according to the first 911 call, to the 180-acre that remained 65 percent contained the following morning, officials said.

The crew was working to mow away excess brush around 10:45 a.m. Monday near access roads by Santiago Canyon Road and the 241 toll road entrance when the machine hit something hard on the ground, causing a spark, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said.

Caltrans had a water tank trailing the truck in case of such an incident, and the crew attempted to extinguish the flames themselves, “but because the brush is so dry, once a fire starts, it quickly grows,” Concialdi said.

The 241/Santiago fire, which at its peak midday Monday sent plumes of smoke that could be seen from much of the county, caused officials to close Santiago Canyon Road between the 241 toll road entrance and Blue Diamond Haul Road. It was expected to remain closed until 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Fifty people, including campers and fishermen, were evacuated from the area around Irvine Lake, where two abandoned homes were destroyed.

Authorities said the flames subsided by Tuesday morning, although smoke was still rising in certain areas and 180 firefighters were working to extinguish all hot spots along the Loma Ridge.

“It just shows, with these dry conditions, how one spark can lead to a major fire,” Concialdi said."

 

Santiago canyon was still closed this morning.
Was going to work and had to turn around at Silverado and go back to el toro.
Could smell the smoke when at the Silverado intersection.