Wildfire Gobbles 1,700 Acres in O.C.

Pushed by stubborn, shifting Santa Ana winds, an uncontrolled brush fire blackened at least 1,700 acres by Sunday evening as it burned for a second day in the wild lands of northeastern Orange County.

The fire began Saturday night and was still burning late Sunday, with gusts of up to 50 mph spreading flames through thick, oily scrub and sending ominous pillars of smoke over the nearest neighborhoods.

No one was injured and no homes were threatened Sunday evening.

But that did not stop panicky residents from packing up precious belongings and preparing to flee on a moment’s notice.

“Last night we could see the flames and feel the wind and smoke coming into our eyes,” said Mark Little as he and his four young children watched the blaze Sunday from their Anaheim Hills home about a mile away. “This hillside always burns every couple of years. But this is the biggest one, combined with the wind. And this is probably the closest a fire has come to the house.”

By Sunday evening, an estimated 1,700 acres had burned in Coal Canyon, which stretches east of Anaheim Hills and through Chino Hills State Park between the Eastern toll road and the Riverside Freeway.

The blaze was 35% contained, and authorities said they might gain control of it by today. Firefighters said they were confident they could keep the flames away from homes because the winds were starting to die down.

“I think they’re getting a handle on it,” said Capt. Stephen J. Miller, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

It began about 9 p.m. Saturday near the Riverside County line in Coal Canyon before moving swiftly southwest toward the Eastern toll road.

By Sunday morning, more than 1,000 firefighters were on the scene, including crews from Orange and Los Angeles counties, the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Four water-dropping helicopters also were on hand, although only two were flying most of Sunday because of the winds.

About 650 acres in Coal Canyon became part of Chino Hills State Park last year, after a development company that planned to build 1,550 homes agreed to sell the property to the park system for $30 million.

Advocates say the canyon is important because it joins two large wilderness tracts in one of California’s fastest-growing areas. That connection allows animals to roam freely between Chino Hills State Park and Cleveland National Forest.

“It’s a critical missing link in that chain of wild lands,” said Claire Schlotterbeck, president of Hills for Everyone, which spearheaded the deal. “It’s an opportunity for plants to spread themselves where they once were.”

The landscape hit by the weekend fire features several rare plants and trees, including one of the world’s four remaining stands of Tecate Cypress, a species that once blanketed the southwest. Riversidian sage scrub, dudleyas and Braunton’s milk-vetch are among other shrubbery and flowers in the area.

“A lot of these plants and trees are dependent on fire,” Schlotterbeck said. “It might not be bad for them. But it sure does pain the heart to see [the canyon] burn after we just saved it.”

As ground crews made their way through the rugged terrain with bulldozers and chain saws to create a fire break, some whipped-up embers ignited flare-ups.

Although the closest neighborhood to the fire was a mile away in Anaheim Hills, residents there were not taking any chances.

After a sleepless night, many residents gathered Sunday outside their homes to watch for signs of danger.

Andrew Guesmon said he saw flames glowing over the hills Saturday night. He sent his wife and 8-year-old son to a relative’s in Orange, and stayed behind.

Gary Parzych, who was driving his 12-year-old daughter around to sell Girl Scout cookies Sunday, said she was afraid to get out of the car to look at the fire.

“You get concerned,” he said, “when you see flames and ashes going past you like snowflakes.”