Winds Rip the Southland, Fan Trabuco Canyon Fire : Fierce Gusts Rip Apart Pepsi Blimp

Hurricane-force winds battered Southern California this morning, shredding a blimp, cutting electricity to thousands of homes and businesses in Orange County and keeping firefighters on the lookout for flare-ups in Trabuco Canyon hills, where a blaze destroyed 100 acres Wednesday night.

Residents returning to their homes in the charred hills surveyed the damage this morning from winds and fire and considered themselves lucky because recent rains and their own efforts saved their houses.

Fire Battalion Chief Jerry Hunter said the blaze was started by two arcing wires at about 8:20 p.m. near Rose Canyon and Trabuco Canyon roads. After putting out the fire at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters stood by the charred area throughout the night as high gusts threatened to fan burning embers.

“Because of the winds, they will go over the whole area piece by piece just to make sure there are no hot spots,” Fire Department spokeswoman Kathleen Cha said.

The blaze blackened about 10 acres atop a ridge before fierce 60-m.p.h. winds sent it across Rose Canyon Road and northeast toward the Joplin Youth Center. About 220 firefighters from throughout the county were brought to the rural canyon area north of Rancho Santa Margarita.

“Once the winds died down just after 11, the fire lost its force,” and firefighters were able to contain it, Hunter said.

50 Homes Threatened

No one was injured, although 50 homes in Rose Canyon were threatened.

Fire officials said dampness from recent rains and the fact that residents had been conscientious about clearing brush around their homes, helped slow the fire. The Fire Department requires residents to clear the ground within 100 feet of their homes.

“If you need a graphic example of why you should do it, this is it right here,” Cha said.

In other areas of Southern California, thousands of customers lost power before dawn as the cool, dry, down slope winds blasted through areas below mountain canyons and passes at speeds as high as 100 m.p.h.

Southern California Edison Co. said power was restored to most of the 29,000 customers blacked out in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties by late this morning.

Police donned goggles to direct traffic as the winds whipped sand and dust into an opaque, tornado-like cloud between Ontario and San Bernardino, prompting a series of SigAlerts on Interstates 10 and 15 to warn of hazardous driving conditions.

The Airships Inc. blimp, used by Pepsi Cola Co. to advertise its Pepsi and Slice soft drinks, was “literally blown to bits” at its moorings at the airport in Ontario, according to airport spokeswoman Angie Summers.

“Large pieces of it took off in the wind and proceeded to head toward Chino,” said Michael DiGirolamo, the airport’s manager.

Little more than the nose cone of the airship remained attached to the mooring pole. The fabric of the blimp was reduced to ribbons and the gondola was dumped about 30 yards from the pole.

Summers said winds up to 100 m.p.h., blowing dust, sand and debris from the shredded airship on the main runways combined to force closure of the airport from 9 p.m. Wednesday until about 7:45 this morning.

She said at least 45 flights were delayed, canceled or diverted to other airports, such as Los Angeles International.