Photo: Getty Images
ALISO VIEJO (CNS) - Multiple brush fires in an unincorporated greenbelt area on the border of Laguna Beach today caused the closure of the San Joaquin Hills toll road in both directions near the Laguna (133) Freeway.
The Orange County Fire Authority was first alerted to the brush fires about 3:30 p.m. along the southbound toll road just west of the Laguna Freeway, said OCFA Capt. Sean Doran.
There were three separate blazes “along this area within 300 yards of each other,'' Doran said.
“There was one small spot fire we had go across to the northboundside, but we made that a priority drop'' and it was quickly extinguished, Doran said.
One fire was along the Newport Coast, he said.
“We've made significant progress'' on extinguishing the blazes, Doran said around 5 p.m. Firefighters are “collectively making good progress on it'' with air drops and ground crews with bulldozers.
The fires' progress was stopped around 5:30 p.m. after scorching about eight acres, the OCFA said.
Firefighters were set to remain on the scene throughout the night to extinguish remaining hot spots.
There was no immediate word of any structure damage or injuries and investigators were at the scene to determine a cause of the fires, the OCFA reported.
Copyright 2021, City News Service, Inc.