Brush fire scorches preserve

Marisa O’Neil

A fire in the dense brush of Talbert Nature Preserve on Saturday

burned for more than two hours and sent plumes of thick smoke into

nearby homes and billowing high over three cities.

About 20 fire companies from multiple agencies battled the fire,

which started at about 11:30 a.m. said Costa Mesa Fire Capt. Randy

Croll. The blaze burned three acres in the county-controlled park

that runs along the Santa Ana River, an area that residents in nearby

condominiums said burns regularly.

Authorities did not know what sparked the blaze but were

investigating. No one was injured.

“Just another fire,” 11-year-old Katie Barr sighed as she watched

the brush burn in the field, down a bluff from her family’s

condominium. “We get at least one or two a summer.”

Fire crews from Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach,

Fountain Valley and the Orange County Fire Authority battled the

two-alarm blaze, said Costa Mesa Fire Capt. Herb Ohde. Firefighters

contained the fire within two hours and extinguished it by about 4

p.m., he said.

A water-dropping helicopter, a bulldozer and crews using shovels

and chainsaws helped fight the blaze. It got as close as 100 yards to

the homes, but they were not in danger, Ohde said.

Police closed 19th Street at Whittier Avenue for about four hours

while fire crews fought the blaze.

The fire threatened power lines before electricity was turned off

in the area. At one point, water dropped from the helicopter hit the

lines, causing a flash and loud popping sound.

Thick smoke blanketed the area and fire crews were stationed in

front of the condominiums on Starfish Court, spraying some with water

to protect them from danger. Resident Heaven Moffeit said that

burning embers landed in her back patio.

“This gets so scary,” she said. “We have so much dry growth behind

our house, we’re afraid it’s all going to go up [in flames.]”

Residents said that the park, which is full of brushy growth and

home to some transients, burns two or three times a year. Some, like

11-year resident Richard McFadden, said they worry about the large

eucalyptus trees planted around the complex catching fire and

spreading flames to the homes.

His neighbor, Bob Rabun, left work to make sure his home wasn’t

threatened. Rabun and McFadden stood outside and drank a couple of

cold beers as they watched firefighters spray the fire, close to

Rabun’s bluff-top home.

“I don’t know how much closer I could live,” he said of his

proximity to the fire.

The burn area is a “ecologically sensitive” and filled with very

dense, tall vegetation, Croll said. Because it is a county park, the

plant and wildlife in the area are protected and managed by park

rangers.

The compact growth made the fire difficult to extinguish.

“This is typical Southern California,” Croll said. “A strong

on-shore breeze, dry conditions and all this material capable of

burning.”

A smaller fire in the same park in March burned about a

quarter-acre of land and was extinguished in an hour.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4268 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.