Wildfire Season Really Heating Up Across Southland

By GREG HERNANDEZ

Sept. 2, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Smoke that swept over Orange County from an uncontrolled bush fire, temperatures that soared past 100 and a blanket of ashes that dusted everything for miles were ominous reminders Tuesday that another threatening fire season has begun.

A dozen stubborn wildfires, most of them sparked by lightning strikes and aided by the fifth straight day of blistering heat, continued to blaze Tuesday in Southern California, including one in Santiago Canyon that had blackened 5,000 acres and was only about 50% contained Tuesday night.

A second Orange County fire also continued to burn in Carbon Canyon. About 895 acres had been scorched, but officials said it was 100% contained. A third fire in Holy Jim Canyon in the Cleveland National Forest was also 100% contained, firefighters said.

In Riverside, fire has destroyed or damaged about 100 structures, more than half of them houses and mobile homes.

For Orange County residents, it was a vivid reminder of past fires that have devastated canyons and hillsides during fire season--most notably the Laguna Canyon fire that roared over 16,000 acres in 1993.

As about 400 firefighters fought the Santiago Canyon blaze Tuesday in 103-degree heat, residents in the canyon’s Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills communities prepared to evacuate.

Car trunks were packed with clothes, framed pictures and diapers as residents peered at the glowing red horizon.

“Everybody is packing,” said resident Evelyne Peurifoy.”The winds are picking up and that’s not good. . . . It’s a very anxious day. I’ve never had a firefighter in my backyard before.”

In a remote area of Santiago Canyon between Jackson Ranch and Gertner Ranch, about 25 residents were asked to evacuate and some did, taking their horses with them.

The fire was about a quarter mile from homes, but firefighters feared more thunderstorms and attendant lightning, said Scott Brown, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.

Brush Decades Old in Santiago Canyon

Experts have predicted that the state could see one of its worst fire seasons this year because of the extra vegetation. And in Santiago, the fire was fueled by decades-old brush, Brown said.

“Some of the area has not burned in more than 90 years. The brush builds up, becomes more thick and dense, so over time, if there is a fire it is more intense and becomes a bigger problem.”

Lightning was blamed for the Santiago and Carbon Canyon fires. The cause of the Holy Jim Canyon fire remains under investigation. No injuries have been reported in any of the Orange County fires, although at least three firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion.

Although the fire came within a quarter mile of homes, fire officials said the development had been built to meet strict safety requirements.

“The good news is that . . . it is a very defensible space,” said Garry Layman of the Orange County Fire Authority. “We’re pretty comfortable with it because of the construction.”

Still, Foothill Ranch residents worried as they peered into a red glowing sky and flames moved into the nearby Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. Cars were packed.

Peurifoy, who arrived home Monday night to Viaggo Lane, was distressed to see the fire.

“You can barely see the flames but there is smoke,” she said. “The firefighters asked us to consider putting things in order. The winds are picking up, and that’s not good. . . . It’s a very anxious day. I’ve never had a firefighter in my backyard before.”

In some quarters, however, the mood was almost party-like. In one driveway, neighbors drew up their beach chairs and drank margaritas as they watched the ridge for flames.

Most of those residents had packed their irreplaceable belongings in case word came to evacuate. If that happened, firefighters had told them, they would have 20 minutes to get out.

“I’m optimistic,” said Barbara Gough, 41, who nevertheless had set out her wedding pictures and insurance forms. She was reassured, she said, because the fire was still three ridges away.

Neighbor Ross Gough, 39, said that if that situation changed, “We’ve got a plan. We’re not gonna wait until 20 minutes. They’re going to see controlled panic.”

In Foothill Ranch, Donna Garcia and Ernie Richter had packed pictures, jewelry and a set of clothes. They had been on the alert for something like this since the 1993 Laguna Beach fire.

“In the back of my mind, [if] I saw the flames coming over the hill, that’s when we’d evacuate,” Richter said.

In addition to ground crews fighting the fire, aircraft dropped fire retardant and water. Orange County firefighters have been joined in their efforts by members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, the California Department of Forestry, the U.S. Forest Service and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

In Riverside County, the most destructive fire was in Juniper Flats, about 10 miles east of Hemet, where a 6,000-acre blaze was about 50% contained. Those who live in the area were allowed to briefly return to their houses to assess the damage. But an evacuation order, issued Monday night when the fire was sparked, was still in effect.

The fire, apparently sparked by lightning Monday, ripped through a hilly, rocky, sparsely populated area with scattered horse ranches, mobile homes and upscale ranch houses.

Cursing, Marveling at Fire’s Capriciousness

Property owners on Tuesday both cursed and marveled at the capriciousness of the fire that swept along Juniper Flats Road, below the western slopes of the San Jacinto Mountains.

Among those attempting to rationalize the tragedy were Dr. Glenn Nakadate and his wife, Sharon, who live in Westminster and learned that their historic getaway home was ablaze by watching the television news Monday night.

On Tuesday, they discovered that the house--used as a bed-and-breakfast inn--was partly destroyed after flames reached it through a grove of trees. Fortunately, a fire crew was able to extinguish the blaze just as flames were licking through a heavy wooden door that protected the main part of the house from the inferno.

“I saw our house burning, but we’re fortunate because it’s our secondary home,” said Sharon Nakadate, tip-toeing carefully through the charred rubble of the bedroom. “I was really worrying about our neighbors, though.”

Riverside County firefighters also battled two smaller blazes. One, in the foothills about 10 miles southeast of Corona, had burned about 5,000 acres and was 80% contained and the other, two miles southeast of Lake Elsinore, had burned about 60 acres. Both were fully contained Tueasday night. No structures were damaged in either fire.

The heat wave that has fueled the fires was expected to continue through the week, although the temperatures will dip slightly during the next few days, said Jeff House of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. Fullerton reached 106 degrees Tuesday, and Irvine 99. Temperatures throughout Southern California should return to normal by the weekend.

Tom Eichhorn, spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, said anyone near the fires should try to avoid exposure to smoke and soot.

“You should do what you normally do during a bad smog episode and that is stay inside where there is air conditioning.”

Nor are ashes, which were everywhere in Orange County-even covering the water attractions at Wild Rivers Water Park in Irvine.

“It was bad,” said general manager Greg Briggs. . . . “It has taken most of the day to get it cleaned up.”

Ashes made for overflow business at Trabuco Canyon Formula Car Wash, which was barely able to handle the rush.

“It was crazy,” said manager Chris Chong. “Every car in this area is dirty.”

Times staff writers Tom Gorman and Miles Corwin and correspondent Jason Kandel contributed to this report.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Fighting Fires on Many Fronts

A pair of brush fires burned thousands of acres Tuesday near Yorba Linda and Foothill Ranch. A closer look at the Orange County blazes and five other Southland fires:

Carbon Canyon

Acres: about 900

Santiago Canyon

Acres: about 5,000

Temescal Canyon

Acres: 4,000-plus

Juniper Flats

Acres: 6,000-plus

Holy Jim Canyon

Acres: 95

Camp Pendleton

Acres: 2,000