Riverside County supervisors Tuesday approved an emergency declaration connected to the 23,500-acre Airport Fire that started in Orange County and spread east and south, impacting Riverside County residents due to road closures and evacuation orders, most of which have since been downgraded.
“Conditions of imminent threat … posing risk of loss of life, safety of persons and property (occurred) within the county, caused by the Airport Fire,” according to the proclamation approved by the Board of Supervisors in a 4-0 vote, with Supervisor Karen Spiegel absent.
County CEO Jeff Van Wagenen had signed the emergency declaration last week when the blaze was still growing. The board’s affirmation was required to legitimize the declaration, which will enable the county to seek state and federal allocations for infrastructure repairs or improvements and general recovery of expenses stemming from the wildfire.
As of Tuesday, the fire was about one-third contained, and no mandatory evacuations were active for Lakeland Village, the Trilogy community and surrounding locations, as was the case a week before. The area, however, remained under an evacuation warning.
A few communities within the Cleveland National Forest in Riverside County are still under evacuation orders, though a larger number are in Orange County.
“The county has implemented emergency protective measures to the public by controlling traffic, prohibiting ingress and egress into affected areas due to conditions considered dangerous to lives and property,” according to a Riverside County Emergency Management Department statement.
The Orange County Fire Authority said 14 people have been injured, mostly firefighters who suffered minor injuries fighting the blaze, many of them heat-related.
Cal Fire said 160 residential, commercial and other structures have been destroyed, and another 34 damaged.
The Airport Fire began early on the afternoon of Sept. 9 near Trabuco Canyon Road in the area of the remote-controlled airplane airport, OCFA Capt. Sean Doran said.
Officials said the fire was sparked by a county public works crew using heavy equipment. The cause was deemed accidental.
The fire was 31% contained Tuesday. It’s estimated the fire will be fully contained by lines of cleared vegetation in one week.