Parkland, Home Set Ablaze by Vehicle Fires

A vehicle fire in south Orange County was the second of its kind to ignite a larger blaze on Father’s Day.

A garage and two bedrooms in Dana Point were gutted in the latter blaze.

Capt. Stephen Miller of the Orange County Fire Authority said that occasionally a car fire will to lead to a larger fire.

The first blaze Sunday, which burned 30 acres at Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park in San Juan Capistrano, was ignited by a recreational vehicle, Miller said.

Owners of the motor home had stopped at a campsite when they noticed smoke seeping from beneath the hood Sunday afternoon, Miller said.

They tried to put out the fire with extinguishers, Miller said, but the flames moved into surrounding brush and “off it went.”

Fire crews had the blaze under control by 8 Monday morning, Miller said. Officials expect it to be extinguished by Wednesday.

The second fire began when an older model Cadillac ignited at a Dana Point home. It set off a two-alarm blaze that destroyed the three-car garage and severely burned two bedrooms in the two-story house.

No one was home when the fire started about 3 p.m., Miller said.

The 3,000-square-foot house on Via Martos sustained about $450,000 in damage, officials said.

No one was seriously injured in either fire, but a firefighter at each blaze was treated for heat exhaustion.