Brush fire breaks out in Newport Beach’s back bay

Firefighters from Newport Beach and other agencies were responding Wednesday afternoon to a vegetation fire just north of the Back Bay, according to a Fire Department spokeswoman.

The size of the fire at Jamboree Road and the 73 Freeway was not immediately available early Wednesday evening, said Newport Beach Fire Department spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.

Firefighters were first contacted around 4:30 p.m. As a precaution, the Baypointe apartment complex on Jamboree was evacuated, Manzella said.

So far, the only affected structure is the Fletcher Jones Motorcars dealership at Jamboree and Bayview Way, Manzella said. The property was affected by the fire’s smoke and ensuing ash, she said.

There are also various road closures in the area.

Firefighters were also battling a much large fire in San Bernardino County.

The Etiwanda fire exploded in size over the morning, from 20 acres when it was first reported shortly after 8 a.m. to more than 800 acres by midday, fueled in large part by hot, dry conditions and powerful Santa Ana winds. Some gusts hit 80 mph, preventing air crews from making water drops all morning, U.S. Forest Service officials told Times Community News.

Roughly 1,650 homes had been evacuated at the base of the burn area by 2 p.m.