A fast-moving brush fire raced across hundreds of acres Wednesday in the Rancho Mission Viejo, shutting down Ortega Highway but not causing any immediate structural damage or injuries.
The blaze broke out just after 2 p.m. Wednesday near the 34700 block of Ortega Highway, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Greg Barta said.
By 3 p.m. it had spread to about 150 acres. A short time later it was estimated at 450 acres, but the size was later downgraded to 216 acres following an aerial observation flyover, according to crews on the scene.
California Highway Patrol officers closed the highway eastbound at Gateway in Rancho Mission Viejo and westbound at Grand in Lake Elsinore, CHP Officer Brian Kinsey said.
Drivers were urged to avoid the area and take alternative routes such as routes 91, 76, 78 or Interstate 5.
By late afternoon, crews at the scene indicated some commercial structures were threatened by the flames, and shelter-in-place orders were issued for select areas.