Coastal Fire

Started:     Wednesday 5/11/2022 at approx. 2:45 p.m.

Contained:     Tuesday 5/17/2022.

Days Active:     5

Counties Affected:     Orange County

Location:     St. Tropez and Laguna Ridge Trail, SE of Laguna Beach

Origin:      At 2:43 p.m., a man at the South Orange County Wastewater Authority’s Coastal Treatment Plant called the Orange County Fire Authority to report a small blaze (just 50’ x 50’) that was burning in Aliso and Woods Canyon. He told the fire dispatcher that a “power pole started the canyon on fire.” He said there was a downed power line, according to a redacted recording of the 911 call.

Cause:     Under investigation. But SCE admitted in an initial Electric Safety Incident Report to the CPUC that "circuit activity" was occurring "close in time" to when the brush fire was reported. On 6/2, in a letter submitted to the CPUC, SCE stated that an electrical component used to connect two power lines in the area of the destructive Coastal Fire showed signs of damage. In a later statement, an SCE spokesperson said that it is not known when the damage occurred and whether it contributed to the start of the fire.

Burn Path:     The fire began in the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. It then jumped Aliso Creek and spread east/northeast into the city of Laguna Niguel.

Acres Burned:     200

Structures Affected:     12 homes fire damaged/20 homes destroyed.

Injuries:     Two injured firefighters..

Evacuations:     Between 5/11 and 5/18 at 5:00 p.m., approx. 900 homes in Laguna Niguel and neighboring Laguna Beach were under evacuation orders.