Cause of Laguna Coast Wilderness Park fire is ‘suspicious,’ fire chief says

Most of Laguna Coast Wilderness Park reopened to the public Thursday, four days after a fire charred nearly 50 acres.

The Laguna Ridge trail between Big Bend and Bommer Ridge will remain closed until further notice, according to the OC Parks website.

The fire was 100% contained as of Wednesday night, according to the the Laguna Beach Fire Department.

Firefighters remained on scene for the last several days to ensure all “hot spots” were extinguished, the release said.

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Laguna Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse told the City Council Tuesday night the fire’s cause was “suspicious in nature.” Officials are still investigating the blaze.

Crews used hand tools to create a line around the perimeter of the fire to ensure embers did not cause unburned fuel — vegetation — to reignite.

Laguna police and fire started receiving calls shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday, June 26 of a vegetation fire in a remote section of the park near the Laguna Ridge trail, about half a mile off Laguna Canyon Road.

More than 240 firefighters from various agencies — including Laguna Beach, the OCFA, Cal Fire, Brea, Anaheim and Fullerton — battled the fire on foot and with planes and helicopters dropping fire retardant.

No homes were threatened and authorities did not order any evacuations.

OC Parks staff will meet next week to discuss possible restoration and clean up efforts, Supervising Park Ranger Barbara Norton said.

Norton said it’s possible authorities will decide to “let nature take its course.”

“Everyone is in a hurry [after a fire] to say, ‘We’ve got to fix it,’” Norton said. “Fire is natural part of the whole ecological process.”

Norton commended OCFA firefighters for their “sensitivity to the land and environment” in battling the blaze.

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