A torch being used by a beekeeper in Williams Canyon to separate bee boxes stuck together by wax accidentally touched off a brush fire that grew to 10 acres before it was extinguished, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
No injuries were reported nor evacuations ordered as a result of the blaze, which was reported about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, deep in the canyon, OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi said. About 150 firefighters from the OCFA, CalFire and the U.S. Forest Service responded, along with three helicopters and three fixed- wing aircraft, Concialdi said.
As of about 6 p.m. Wednesday, the fire’s forward progress was halted and the blaze was 30 percent contained, according to Concialdi. The fire was contained around midnight Wednesday.
“We will have two engines at the scene overnight to baby sit the location in case hot spots should flare up,” Concialdi said, and during daytime hours today “there will be 50 firefighters out there to go through the location and look for hot spots.”
A beekeeper working on some bee boxes was using a torch to separate boxes that were stuck together by the bees wax, set down the torch while it was still on, and it accidentally fell over and ignited some brush, Concialdi said, adding that despite a lack of wind, the flames spread quickly through dry, drought-stricken vegetation.
Two OCFA helicopters and another from CalFire made numerous water drops, according to Concialdi. Three CalFire fixed-wing planes were also deployed. Two of them made six to 10 retardant drops while the third served as a spotter aircraft, Concialdi said.
—City News Service