Airport Fire in California blamed on crews doing fire-prevention work: See wildfire map
The Airport Fire in Trabuco Canyon of Orange County, California has set over 5,000 acres ablaze and is 0% contained. The fire is believed to have been started by a crew working on fire prevention measures.
The fire was reported on Monday at 1:27 p.m., according to InciWeb.
The dry, hot weather allowed the fire to grow quickly. It has set 5,432 acres ablaze in Orange County. Orange County Fire Authority and the Cleveland National Forest responded to the fire.
A video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, shows the wildfire burning near and illuminating the towers on the mountain, around a 71-mile drive southeast of Long Beach.
Flames bursting near the radio and cell phone towers atop Santiago Peak from the OC’s #AirportFire @ClevelandNF which began in Trabuco Canyon. Credit: Father-in-law’s footage from his fancy telescope. pic.twitter.com/nM6HEMgUFX
— Forever Broncos (@denver_TD_catch) September 10, 2024
Line Fire: California's Line Fire grows due to high temperatures, forces evacuations: See map
How did the fire start?
An Orange County Public Works team putting together a project meant to help prevent fires is believed to have started the fire, reported Deseret Sun, a part of the USA TODAY Network.
The team was moving boulders in place to prevent motorcyclists and offroad vehicles from going into the dry brush on the canyon near the Cleveland National Forest.
A supervisor and crew member attempted to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher when they noticed smoke near one of the boulders.
Airport Fire map
Line and Davis Fires grow
The Airport Fire comes as firefighters in California and Nevada attempt to put out other wildfires, like the Line and Davis fires, and thousands are forced to evacuate their homes.
The Line Fire in Southern California set over 25,813 acres ablaze and is 5% contained. The wildfire was discovered Thursday, according to InciWeb's data. It's located in San Bernardino County, around 121 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
High temperatures have increased the fire's activity Sunday night.
The Davis Fire, south of Reno, Nevada, was started on Saturday and has since set 5,000 acres on fire, shutting down schools and forcing families to leave their homes, according to the Reno Gazette Journal, a part of the USA TODAY Network.
Around fourteen structures have been affected by the fire, according to Inciweb.
The fire is yet to be contained.
Contributing: Janet Wilson, Palm Springs Desert Sun; Siobhan McAndrew, Brett McGinness, Jason Hidalgo, Jaedyn Young, Reno Gazette Journal
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Airport Fire in Orange County's Trabuco Canyon: See wildfire map