Firefighters make progress against Calif. wildfire

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
A firefighter stands along State Route 241 as he watches smoke rising from a wildfire near Anaheim Hills, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009. Fire engines were parked on the freeway as crews lay hoses amid swirling smoke and erratic winds. About 30 engines and 90 firefighters were on the scene.
Nov. 25, 2009 | KPCC Wire Services

A wind-driven wildfire fueled by gusts of nearly 50 mph spread to 60 acres today while fire crews worked to keep flames away from homes two miles to the west in Anaheim Hills.

The so-called "241 Fire" was considered 10 percent contained this morning as of 4 a.m. while relatively low-rising flames spread southwest over grassy slopes toward Irvine Lake, away from Anaheim Hills, said Orange County Fire Authority spokeswoman Angela Garbiso.

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More crews arrived early today to fight the fire in darkness, and the estimated total of firefighters on the ground this morning was 200, said OCFA spokeswoman Lynnette Round.

A Los Angeles County Fire helicopter crew was working one edge of the fire with water drops as a bulldozer crew cut a line to further corral the blaze, Round said.

The fire was first reported by the California Highway Patrol at 9:52 p.m. Tuesday on the northbound side of the Eastern Transportation (241) Corridor near the Windy Ridge Toll Plaza, about three miles south of the Riverside (91) Freeway.

In addition to hand crews, the helicopter crew, and air support, resources assigned to the blaze this morning included four tanker truck crews and 15 engines, Round said.

Some crews were working with hoses and shovels to try to control the fire, but they faced challenging conditions as gusts sent flames leaping forward.

The Los Angeles County Firehawk helicopter being deployed is a modified Blackhawk capable of water and retardant drops.

Garbiso said that with the aid of the water-dropping helicopter and other resources, fire commanders were confident they would gain the upper hand on the blaze in spite of the winds.

Sustained winds of 32 mph and gusts to 53 mph fueled the blaze before midnight, according to National Weather Service, said weather service meteorologist Steve Vanderburg. By early today the area was being buffeted by 31-mph sustained winds gusting to 48 mph, he said.

``It's going to be windy through the night in that area,'' Vanderburg said.

The Eastern Transportation Corridor was initially closed from the Riverside Freeway south to Santiago Canyon Road, a CHP dispatcher said. As of early today, the northbound side remained closed but the southbound side was open, the dispatcher said.

A Red Flag Warning indicating a high risk of wildfire was issued by the National Weather Service and scheduled to remain in force in the region until 10 a.m. Thursday because of the high winds and a humidity level of below 15 percent. A high of 83 was expected in the area today, rising to 85 Thursday before dropping to 72 Friday.

An incident command post was set up at the Windy Ridge Toll Plaza, Round said. A morning briefing for fire commanders is expected at 6 a.m. The command post may be moved by that time to Irvine Regional Park, just north of Santiago Canyon Road and Jamboree Road, Round said.

Previous wildfires in the same area include:

- The Sierra Fire, which burned more than 10,000 acres in Orange and Anaheim Hills, from Feb. 6-12, 2006, after a controlled backfire re-ignited in the Cleveland National Forest, causing eight injuries but no structural damage.

- The 241/Windy Ridge Fire, which burned more than 2,000 acres near the toll road from March 11-13, 2007. It was sparked by a car fire and caused two injuries while damaging three structures.

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