Blaze Destroys Homes on Scenic San Clemente Bluff

A fast-moving brush fire, apparently deliberately set, gutted homes in two condominium complexes Wednesday and threatened several other homes in a bluff-top neighborhood overlooking the San Clemente pier.

The blaze began at the bottom of Trafalgar Canyon about 3:20 p.m. and raced a quarter-mile up the steep slope, fueled by ocean breezes and heavy vegetation.

More than 100 firefighters, including Marines from Camp Pendleton, fought the blaze with 40 fire engines and two helicopters that dropped water and fire retardant.

They fought on two fronts, in the steep canyon and in the densely packed neighborhood, under clouds of black smoke and swirling embers.

Residents in the neighborhood near Calle Conchita and Esplanade were told to evacuate, but many stayed to protect their homes with garden hoses.

“We are trying to keep things wet,” said Tim Lee-Thorp, who lives across the canyon from the fire. “The concern would be if the wind shifted and the sparks flew this way. It’s quite nerve-racking.”

Witnesses told investigators that one or more youths were seen fleeing the area where the fire began. Kirk Summers, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority, said late Wednesday that investigators think the youths set the fire. “We are going to get these guys, but any information we can get from the public would be appreciated,” he said.

No injuries were reported, although two firefighters were treated for mild heat exhaustion. Three condominiums on Cazador Lane were destroyed by the flames, which jumped to a second complex and destroyed two other units. A home across the canyon suffered rooftop burns from embers, and a few other structures sustained minor damage.

Authorities said the condos were built in 1980 and had exterior wood shingles that would not be allowed under today’s fire codes. The three condos were built directly on the lip of the canyon, with no space between them and the vegetation.

Bob Nelson saw the smoke as he was driving home from the supermarket. When he arrived, his entire complex was engulfed. Nelson tried to unlock the door to his home, but billowing smoke pushed him back.

“I couldn’t save anything. Everything went,” he said. “It’s totally destroyed.”

The roof caved in, the windows broke and the entire back of the condominium seemed to have collapsed in the blaze, he said.

Nelson, 53, also has a home in Burbank. He had bought the San Clemente property with the hope of retiring there. He said the only good thing was that his wife was in Burbank.

“She is lucky not to see this in person,” he said.

Richard Sullivan, 66, was standing in his kitchen when he saw flames in the canyon below.

“Then that baby really started coming up,” he said.

Sullivan called 911. Several minutes went by, and he called again before he got in his car and abandoned his condo.

“What I got on is all I got,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan, Nelson and several other neighbors complained that it took firefighters more than 20 minutes to arrive. But fire officials said the first engines to the scene were called to the mouth of the canyon, down by the beach, not to the homes. They said firefighters were at the scene within 10 to 15 minutes.

“It’s unfair to say the first two companies were not in the right place, because they have to go where they’re called,” said Orange County Fire Authority Battalion Chief Marc Hawkins. “It’s a judgment call. There was fire racing up both sides of the canyon. We could have responded to this side first, and we might have lost homes on the other side.”

While neighbors doused the flames with hoses waiting for firefighters to arrive, a group of teenagers who had been at the beach scrambled up to the neighborhood and used their towels to stamp out flaming bushes.

Times staff writers Ana Beatriz Cholo, Jennifer Mena, Mai Tran and David Haldane contributed to this story.