Foothill Ranch is partially evacuated

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Evacuations started in parts of Foothill Ranch at 1:56 p.m.

On Calle Cabrillo, firefighters had been waiting for bulldozers to carve a fire line, but they abandoned that idea as the fire shifted and headed toward the neighborhood.

Orange County Fire Capt. Robert Hutyan said that after the shift, the fire raced from the ridgeline. ‘Once it made its move, it was down here in three minutes.’

Most people, who had been chatting on cellphones and taking pictures, took off when it became obvious that the fire was on the move. Some, however, stayed behind, hosing down exteriors and lawns, including Brandon Davis, 42.

‘My wife and kids are gone, as long as that’s OK, I’ll do what I can do,’ Davis said. ‘I won’t do anything stupid.... Incredible. I haven’t seen anything like it.’

With the raging winds and snapping palm trees, it felt like the neighborhood had been struck by a blizzard, with ash instead of snow and heat instead of cold.

-- Mike Anton