Coastal Fire Reaches 40 Percent Containment, Evacuations Rolled Back

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — Firefighters continued to make progress in Laguna Niguel against the Coastal Fire, with containment on the 200-acre blaze going from 25to 40 percent Friday.

Authorities announced it was reducing the evacuation area for Laguna Niguel residents starting 3 p.m. Friday, with the impacted homes going from 900 households to 131, city officials said.

The streets that remained under the mandatory evacuation order were Coronado Pointe, Vista Court, La Vue, La Fleur, Le Port and Via Las Rosas.

Authorities will continue to assess the fire's damage to determine when all residents can return, the Orange County Fire Authority said.

The assessment will take time to prevent residents from returning home prematurely, Capt. Virgil Asuncion, chief of Laguna Niguel Police Services, said Thursday evening.

"The worst-case scenario would be allowing people back into their homes and having them re-evacuate," he said. "We ask for patience from our residents."

RELATED: Coastal Fire Photos: Devastating Loss Of Orange County Homes

More than 560 firefighters from across Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties have responded to the Coastal Fire since Wednesday, the O.C. Fire Authority's division chief, Shane Sherwood, said on Thursday.

The fire has destroyed 20 houses and damaged 11 other residences, he said. Two firefighters also suffered minor injuries while fighting the blaze but have since been released, Sherwood said. The firefighters were not identified.

Both the city of Laguna Niguel and the Orange County Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency as a result of the Coastal Fire.

The declarations allowed city and county officials to draw on state and federal funding to help affected residents, city officials said.

RELATED: Laguna Beach Officials Tour Coastal Fire Damage In Laguna Niguel

Although containment is increasing around the fire, and the flames have died down, Sherwood said the Coastal Fire was far from being fully extinguished.

"We expect the weather to get hotter and drier over the next two days," he said. "That will continue to challenge all of our firefighters in our efforts to contain this fire."

The Coastal Fire began Wednesday afternoon as a small 50-foot-by-50-foot blaze in Aliso and Woods Canyon. The fire quickly grew to 3 acres within an hour and grew overnight to 200 acres.

Sherwood said the fire's spread was aided by ocean winds that helped push the flames uphill, where they tore through thick, dry brushland.

The fire's cause remained under investigation by the Orange County Fire Authority.

Southern California Edison informed the Public Utilities Commission about "circuit activity occurring close in time to the reported time" of the fire, but it's unclear if the incident had any bearing on the fire.

For a real-time evacuation update map, visit the Orange County Sheriff Department's website. The city of Laguna Beach also published a real-time evacuation warning map.

Smoke from the fire prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to issue an advisory Thursday and Friday for Laguna Niguel and the surrounding areas.

"Air quality is not expected to degrade beyond moderate, except in areas close to the fire," district officials said. Residents should remain indoors and avoid physical activity if they smell smoke or see ash from the fire, the district said.

Homes destroyed by the Coastal Fire ranged in value from about $2 million to nearly $10 million, according to the real estate website Redfin. One of the homes destroyed was listed for sale at $9.9 million this week.

Abi Farsoni told KTLA he quickly fled from his house with his wife after seeing "flashes of fires" spreading inside.

"It's horrible for residents. You don't know if your home is still there. We don't know," he said. "I have a lot of things. I didn't have time to take them."