Cooler Temps, Higher Humidity Help Control Airport Fire

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Firefighters were making progress battling the massive Airport Fire Sunday in Riverside and Orange counties, where 23,519 acres have been charred with containment now at 19%.

"The weather has been great with cooler temperatures, the marine layer and the higher, relative humidity," Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi told City News Service.

Relative humidity Sunday was expected to be about 66% over most of the fire below 3,500 feet, fire officials said. Light showers or drizzle were forecast for Sunday night into Monday morning. Officials said crews were having "notable success in increasing containment" in areas such as Lake Elsinore, Decker Canyon Road and Lakeland Village.

The forecast was favorable for the next few days as well.

Multiple neighborhoods in southwestern Riverside County were under evacuation orders and several more were under evacuation warnings. Residents can visit https://go.genasys.com/11hh53 to determine if their homes are impacted by evacuation orders or warnings.

An evacuation center was open at Ortega High School at 520 Chaney St. in Lake Elsinore. Animals were being accepted at Jurupa Valley Animal Shelter at 6851 Van Buren Blvd. Riverside County residents needing assistance with large animal evacuations can call 951-358-7387.

Full details on road closures were available at fire.ca.gov/incidents/2024/9/9/airport-fire.

Officials said 14 people were injured, mostly firefighters who suffered minor injuries fighting the blaze, many of them heat-related.

Cal Fire said 152 residential, commercial and other structures were destroyed, and another 31 were damaged.

The Airport Fire began at about 1 p.m. Monday near Trabuco Canyon Road in the area of the remote-controlled airplane airport, OCFA Capt. Sean Doran said. Officials said the fire was sparked by a county public works crew using heavy equipment. The cause was deemed accidental.

Fire officials estimate that the fire will be fully contained by lines of cleared vegetation by Sept. 24.
Some 1,941 personnel were involved in the firefight, including 36 crews, 203 engines, 31 dozers, 15 water tenders and eight helicopters.

The Airport Fire was one of three large wildfires burning in Southern California this weekend. The Line Fire had burned 38,603 acres and was 36% contained in San Bernardino County as of Sunday morning, while the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties had burned 54,567 acres and was at 9% containment.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District extended an air quality advisory until at least 11 p.m. Monday for most of the region due to smoke from all three major wildfires.

Cal Fire officials said Gov. Gavin Newsom has secured a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency "to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppressing the Airport Fire."

— City News Service