Crime & Safety
Fires Scorch Dove Canyon, Ladera Ranch
Brush fires get close to homes, but the Orange County Fire Authority puts the blazes to bed in short order.
A couple of brush fires kept the Orange County Fire Authority busy Saturday in Rancho Santa Margarita and Ladera Ranch.
The first was described as a 1.5-acre fire behind homes in Dove Canyon. The OCFA was called at 2:19 p.m. and, after arriving at the site behind homes on Muirfield, took about 30 minutes to control the blaze.
The OCFA helicopter, called away from a in Caspers Wilderness Park off Ortega Highway, made a few water drops from the nearby lake to speed the effort, which included about 40 firefighters.
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According to OCFA spokesman Kris Concepcion, the fire was about 30 feet from the nearest house, but didn't represent a significant threat because it moved in a different direction. The cause of the fire is being investigated, but it appeared to start just beyond the fenceline.
A similar scenario took place in the Ladera Ranch community of Covenant Hills near Christopher Street. A fire began about 100 feet from a residence and burned away from the homes. Also engaging about 40 firefighters, it likewise took about 30 minutes to control and burned about 1 acre.
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The second fire was dispatched at 3:03 p.m. In both instances, the OCFA arrived on scene in nine minutes.
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