Introduction: Oklahoma’s Trabuco

A fire near the grounds of a radio-controlled
bird club in Trabuco Valley that burned
5,432 acres late Monday, Sept. 9, was

caused by heavy equipment used by
Orange County Public Utilities
employees, officials said.

The fire prompted officials to issue
evacuation orders and warnings
for surrounding Rancho Santa Margarita

residents, but late Monday it was reported
that the fire had moved away from the
Orange County evacuation zone. However,

the new evacuation warnings extended to
Riverside County and the 15
Freeway east of the Santa Ana Mountains.

The fire broke out around 1:00 p.m.

The fire broke out around 1:00 p.m. along
the 32200 block of Trabuco Creek
Road near the Trabuco Flyers

Clubhouse, said TJ McGovern, deputy
chief of the Orange County
Fire Department.

“When first responders arrived
on scene, they discovered a vegetation fire
on both sides of the road that spanned half

an area and had the potential from
the start to become a serious, large-scale
incident,” McGovern said. “Responders

immediately called multiple additional
sources outside the county, neighboring
counties and local areas for assistance.”

The airport fire had burned about 7 hectares
by about 2 p.m. and grew to about 1,900
hectares within three hours. By

9:30 p.m., 5,432 acres were
mapped to be uncontrollable.
Trabuco Flyers member and former
board member Simon Turner said he

received a call from the club’s vice
president shortly after he saw the fire. He
approached a locked house

where no one was there.
According to Turner, no one was
flying remote-controlled

airplanes at the time.
Turner emphasized that the club has
a good relationship with local firefighters

and offers to use its parking lot and
runway as a staging area if needed.

He said the club closes on red flag,
restores the grounds and has
the necessary equipment.

Smith wasn’t worried about an immediate evacuation,

Smith wasn’t worried about an
immediate evacuation, but said he
would consider it if the wind direction

changed. Several other nearby residents
watched the fire from Millstream Road,
and sheriff’s deputies went door-to-door,
continuing to urge residents to evacuate.

Motorized fire crews, emergency responders, bulldozers, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, including OCFA’s new Firehawk helicopter, were used to fight the fire.

Cleveland National Forest ranger Darrell Vance said two hikers were evacuated from near Holly Jim Canyon this afternoon and were uninjured.

McGovern said two firefighters suffered minor heat injuries and a resident was taken to the hospital with smoke inhalation. There was no damage to the building as a result of the fire on Monday.

“We expect a small percentage of cases to be successfully contained by morning, but not a large number,” McGovern said.