Brush fire Friday in Laguna Canyon
Firefighters are battling a brush fire in Laguna Beach that has burnt roughly 10 acres.
The fire began shortly after 3 p.m. Friday in the 1900 block of Laguna Canyon Road at Canyon Acres Drive, fire officials confirmed.
Orange County Fire Authority and Laguna Beach Fire Department have deployed fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to knock out the fire, which is expected to burn between 20 and 25 acres, OCFA spokesman Tony Bommarito said.
“The wind is pushing it away from structures, so no buildings are threatened,” he said.
Authorities do not yet know how the fire started.
UPDATE: OCFireWatch tweeted that southbound El Toro Road south of the 73 Freeway is closed until further notice.
UPDATE: Orange County Emergency Operations Center tweeted: “Residents advised to shelter in place in area of Arroyo Drive and Canyon Acres Drive in Laguna Beach due to downed power lines” at 4:41 p.m.
UPDATE: “The fire started in the 1900 block of Laguna Canyon Road,” Tony Bommarito, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority, told the Los Angeles Times. “It has the potential to burn 20 to 25 acres. The wind is pushing it away from a tract of homes in the area.”
UPDATE (5:40 p.m.): Downed power lines near Arroyo Drive and Canyon Acres Drive have been deactivated. No vehicle traffic is allowed in these streets. The 73 tollroad is open in both directions. El Toro and the southbound 133 south of the 73 are closed.
UPDATE (6:25 p.m.): Capt. Tony Bommarito of the Orange County Fire Authority said the forward progression of the fire was stopped at 5:30 p.m. but they are not going to declare the fire controlled until the morning. He said they are taking extra care because of the time of year and because it is the Fourth of July tomorrow. The fire burned 15 acres. Authorities are preparing to open northbound Laguna Canyon Road and it should be open by about 7 p.m. The southbound lane is still closed.
UPDATE (8.33 p.m.): NBCLA reported that the fire began when a tree fell on power lines, causing a power surge that ignited brush.