Arson a Possibility in 2 Nighttime Brush Fires

Investigators Friday morning were taking a close look at two brush fires that burned during the night near the 241 toll road and Antonio Parkway in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Each blaze was brought under control quickly and burned only about an acre each. In a rare nighttime maneuver—only the fourth or fifth time it has been employed—Orange County Fire Authority used helicopters in a night drop of water to douse the flames.

The first fire burned right up to the toll road, and the second—north about a quarter-mile away—burned near the toll road and Antonio Parkway.

Firefighters were dispatched at 2:52 a.m.

Because of the suspicious nature of the fires, arson is being considered as a possibility but has not been confirmed, said Capt. Marc Stone of the OCFA.

The OCFA has asked to be notified if any member of the public has information that might seem relevant to an investigation; contact them at (714) 573-6700.

"Luckily, we jumped on it fast," he said. "We had some humidity in the air, no wind, the temperatures were dropping. We had hand crews and helicopters on it, and it worked out excellent."

Pilots have been training for nighttime flight, and Stone said it's the first time he has witnessed the event in Orange County.

"It's a relatively new thing we're doing, because it's always been a safety concern, but our pilots have been trained to fly at night with infrared goggles," Stone said.

The helicopters made eight water drops, and refilled over a local reservoir.

Editors note: An earlier version of this story said the helicopters had their tanks filled by fire engines.