Station Fire Rages as We Pause to Remember 9/11

9/11/24

Remembering the Fallen
Today is the anniversary of September 11th when 2,977 people died at the Twin Towers, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon. Orange County residents along with firefighters are taking a moment to pause to remember those who lost their lives in the line of duty.

The victims of 911 included 343 firefighters and 23 members of the NYPD. Over 300 more firefighters died post-9/11 as the result of illnesses stemming from being present at ground zero and from the recovery efforts. The Orange County Fire Authority remembered the fallen in a ceremony at their Irvine headquarters at 8:30 am.

The City of Mission Viejo will hold its own 9/11 Patriot Day ceremony from 5:30-7 pm at the Oso Creek Trailhead Memorial Flagpole adjacent to the Potocki Center of the Arts lower parking lot, located at 27301 La Paz Road, in Mission Viejo.

The Station Fire

The Station Fire continues to burn out of control, now exceeding 22,000 acres, on the fringe of South Orange County. It continues to singe the hillsides above Rancho Santa Margarita, while also edging its way towards Coto De Caza and Lake Elsinore.

Winds from the west are serving to push the flames up over Saddleback Mountain, where the towers of Santiago Peak have already been singed by flames, towards the town of Lake Elsinore. In its path is the hamlet of Ortega Oaks, where the flames have jumped Ortega highway, continuing their march east. Several homes have already burned here.

With low humidity forecast, the residents of communities such as Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto De Caza, and Lake Elsinore, stand ready to evacuate. It’s important to know how quickly a fire can sweep in, as winds shift, and temperatures rise throughout the day.

Over in the Portola Hills community adjacent to Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, an ominous looming mushroom cloud of smoke hovered above the normally tranquil foothill community. The temps had climbed into the 90s at Whiting Ranch yesterday, where hikers were seen departing for a hike around 1 pm, undeterred by the obvious fire danger present nearby.

I had another opportunity to witness the scene yesterday firsthand from Trabuco Mesa Park in Rancho Santa Margarita where onlookers had gathered to get a good view of the firefighting efforts. It was easy to see a constant stream of CST-70 Firehawks helicopters, filling water from nearby Upper Oso Reservoir, making constant water drops. There were large water-dropping jets flying straight into the clouds of thick smoke.

In 2018 Holy Jim Canyon burned during the Holy Fire, which burned homes and cabins while damaging the local trail system. During winter storms later in the year mudslides further wiped out the area and the famed Holy Jim Trail, which leads to Santiago Peak, a favorite of hikers far and wide. Fingers crossed the trails remain intact this time around, and the historic cabins are spared. There have been thirteen firefighters and civilians injured so far.

In addition to the Serrano Creek animal evacuation center, which has filled to capacity, a second location has been added at Los Alamitos Race Course, 4961 Katella Ave. Cypress, CA 90720, which currently has available space. The public can call 714-820-2830 and enter the Stable Gate.

The Bridge Fire meanwhile has burned over 47,000 acres sweeping through the small mountain town of Wrightwood and Mountain High Resort in the mountains near Los Angeles. The Line Fire also continues to burn through the communities of Running Springs, edging closer to Big Bear Lake and Angelus Oaks.

Evacuations

There is a mandatory evacuation order for areas around Caspers Wilderness Park and Ortega Highway. Voluntary evacuation orders for the areas of Coto De Caza, Rancho Santa Margarita, Modjeska Canyon, Silverado Canyon, and Trabuco Canyon, which includes Holy Jim Canyon. You can learn more about the evacuation area at https://ocsheriff.gov/AirportFire.

Updates

You can stay informed about the efforts of the Orange County Fire Authority to extinguish the Station Fire at https://x.com/ocfireauthority. The OCFA partners with several agencies to fight wildfires, which affect residents in South Orange County. They partner with the OC Sheriff’s Department, CHP, Cal Fire, and the Cleveland National Forest, for greater resources to manage wildfires like this. Learn more about OCFA operations at OCFA.org.