Brush Fire Chars 10 Acres Near Santiago Creek
Firefighters battled a brush fire for nearly two hours Tuesday afternoon before they brought it under control. The fire charred nearly 10 acres near Santiago Creek in Orange Park Acres.
One police officer was injured when a fire engine backed into his motorcycle and he had to jump free.
The fire began just after 2 p.m. in an area of dense brush west of Windes Drive and spread across the creek to Joshua Tree Avenue, threatening homes on both roads, said Anne Bland, an inspector with the Orange Fire Department.
About 80 Orange and county firefighters, supported by 11 engines, one tanker truck and a bulldozer, fought the blaze. The cause is under investigation.
The injured officer, Jim Foster, was following a fire engine as it approached the scene, Orange Police Lt. Lou Walsh said. When the engine began to back up, Foster sounded his siren but the driver did not hear it. At the last moment, Foster jumped off his motorcycle, injuring his leg.
He was treated at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange.
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