2 Firefighters injured, 20 homes destroyed as California's Coastal Fire continues to burn
Fire crews working to extinguish the fire from the ground as well as from the air
Destroyed homes continue to smolder from the Coastal Fire
Destroyed homes still smoldering on Thursday and cars reportedly burned in their driveways due to the Coastal Fire. FOX Weather correspondent Max Gorden on the destruction in Laguna Niguel, California.
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. - Over 550 firefighters continue to battle a large brush fire that broke out in Orange County, California, on Wednesday, burning at least 20 homes and damaging at least 11. Areas of Laguna Niguel are still under mandatory evacuations.
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A press conference in the community of Laguna Niguel Thursday provided updates on the Coastal Fire, which has so far burned nearly 200 acres. At one point residents fled over 900 homes. Crews contained 15% of the Coast Fire, as of late Thursday.
MILLION-DOLLAR HOMES DESTROYED BY FAST-MOVING BRUSH FIRE IN ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Assistant Chief of Field Operations for the Orange County Fire Authority TJ McGovern said the fire broke out around 2:44 p.m. Wednesday in an area of Aliso Wood Canyon, which is between the cities of Laguna Niguel and Laguna Beach.
When fire crews arrived on the scene, firefighters reported the fire as being between one-half to one acre in size and was burning uphill.
HOW THE LAY OF THE LAND AFFECTS WILDFIRE BEHAVIOR
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Image 1 of 20Laguna Niguel, California May 11, 2022- Firefighters battle a brush fire at Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 2 of 20Laguna Niguel, CA - May 11: Firefighter drop water in Aliso Canyon during the Coastal Fire in Laguna Niguel, CA, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. More than a dozen homes overlooking the ocean in Laguna Niguel were engulfed in flames as a fast-moving brush fire is spreading rapidly amid strong winds. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 3 of 20Laguna Niguel, CA - May 11: Multiple homes on Pacific Island in Laguna Niguel burn in the wind whipped Costal Fire on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. The sound of live munitions exploding could be heard, making the fire-fighting efforts more dangerous.(Photo by Mindy Schauer/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 4 of 20Laguna Niguel, CA - May 11: Multiple homes on Pacific Island in Laguna Niguel burn in the wind whipped Costal Fire on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. The sound of live munitions exploding could be heard, making the fire-fighting efforts more dangerous.(Photo by Mindy Schauer/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 5 of 20Laguna Niguel, CA - May 11: Multiple homes on Pacific Island in Laguna Niguel burn in the wind whipped Costal Fire on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. The sound of live munitions exploding could be heard, making the fire-fighting efforts more dangerous.(Photo by Mindy Schauer/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 6 of 20Laguna Niguel, CA - May 11: Multiple homes on Pacific Island in Laguna Niguel burn in the wind whipped Costal Fire on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) ( )
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Image 7 of 20Laguna Niguel, California May 11, 2022- Firefighters battle a brush fire at Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 8 of 20Laguna Niguel, California May 11, 2022- Firefighters battle a brush fire at Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 9 of 20Laguna Niguel, California May 11, 2022- Firefighters battle a brush fire at Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 10 of 20Laguna Niguel, California May 11, 2022- Firefighters battle a brush fire at Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 11 of 20Laguna Niguel, California May 11, 2022- Firefighters battle a brush fire at Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 12 of 20Laguna Niguel, CA - May 11: A home with a flag burns to the ground in the Laguna Niguel Costal Fire on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.(Photo by Mindy Schauer/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 13 of 20Laguna Niguel, CA - May 11: Multiple homes on Pacific Island in Laguna Niguel burn in the wind whipped Costal Fire on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG) ( )
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Image 14 of 20Laguna Niguel, CA - May 11: A house on La Vue in Laguna Niguel burns in the Costal Fire on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.(Photo by Mindy Schauer/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 15 of 20Laguna Niguel, CA - May 11: A car in a homes garage on Pacific Island in Laguna Niguel goes up in flames on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 in the Costal Fire.(Photo by Mindy Schauer/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 16 of 20Laguna Niguel, California May 11, 2022- Firefighters battle a brush fire at Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 17 of 20Laguna Niguel, California May 11, 2022- Firefighters battle a brush fire at Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 18 of 20Laguna Niguel, California May 11, 2022- Firefighters battle a brush fire at Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 19 of 20Laguna Niguel, California May 11, 2022- Firefighters battle a brush fire at Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 20 of 20Laguna Niguel, California May 11, 2022- Firefighters battle a brush fire at Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel Wednesday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
"We immediately went into unified command with the Laguna Beach Fire Department, the Orange County Sheriff’s (Department) and us at the OCFA," he said. "Crews immediately engaged in perimeter control and structure defense when they got on scene and worked aggressively through the night and continue to be out there doing the same functions."
"Due to our master mutual aid system we have in California, we were able to get many resources in a timely fashion from the state, the county and our local areas," McGovern said.
Cal Fire was providing air and ground resources as a way to extinguish the fire, including helicopters and air tankers that were dropping fire retardant on the blaze.
McGovern said two firefighters have so far been injured while working to contain the Coastal Fire. Both were released from the hospital.
Coastal Fire destroys 20 homes
FOX's William La Jeunesse takes us to the fire line in Laguna Niguel, California where a wildfire already destroyed 20 million-dollar homes.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, and teams are on the scene to try and determine how it started.
Several past fires in the Golden State were caused electrical issues, but authorities say it is too soon tell what if utilities played any role in the most recent blaze.
A spokesperson for Southern California Edison, the area's electric provider, said the utility detected unusual circuit activity in the area and have alerted regulators as they always do during big events.
"We did submit an initial electric safety incident report to the California Public Utilities Commission. Our information reflects circuit activity occurring close in time to the reporting time of the fire. This report to the CPUC is intended to put them on notice of an incident so that it can conduct its own investigation" David Song, a spokesperson for Southern California Edison, said.
"From the OCFA, we want to thank the citizens of the community with their rapid evacuations," McGovern said. "We made the evacuation order, and they immediately responded to that order and got out of harm's way, which allowed us to get our resources in there and start engaging in the firefight."
HOW WILDFIRE BURN SCARS COULD HAVE LASTING IMPACTS
OCFA Chief Brian Fennessy said this once would have been considered to be a routine wildfire, but crews are now seeing more fires quickly grow and spread during times of the year when this otherwise would be easy to contain and extinguish.
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"The big difference is, and we’re seeing it again with climate change. The fuel beds in this county, throughout Southern California, throughout the West, are so dry that a fire like this is going to be more commonplace," he said on Wednesday evening.
Fennessy said the wind on Wednesday was not necessarily extraordinary.
They were coastal winds that usually pick up every afternoon in the area during the afternoon but were still between 25-30 mph, not unusual.
What is unusual, Fennessy said, are the extremely dry conditions across the region.
Destroyed homes continue to smolder from the Coastal Fire
Destroyed homes still smoldering on Thursday and cars reportedly burned in their driveways due to the Coastal Fire. FOX Weather correspondent Max Gorden on the destruction in Laguna Niguel, California.