Yorba Linda Fire Jams Up Three Freeways

A fierce fire scorched more than 200 acres of dry brush Friday in an Orange County park in Yorba Linda, forcing rush-hour traffic to a virtual standstill as flames danced along the embankment of the adjacent Riverside Freeway.

The resulting jam backed up traffic on other major freeways and roads in Orange County for several hours, authorities said.

More than 200 firefighters battled the wind-whipped blaze, which broke out at the west end of Featherly Regional Park around 2 p.m. and swept eastward toward Coal Canyon Road, Orange County fire officials said. Flying embers from the fire also ignited smaller spot fires along the way.

An estimated 200 people were evacuated from the 700-acre park, said John Bovee, a ranger at the county regional park, which has about 128 campsites. There were no immediate reports of injuries or structures burned, although fire officials initially expressed concern about the belongings of a large number of homeless people who routinely camp at the park.

Several miles east, a smaller blaze on the Green River Golf Course consumed eight acres east of Yorba Linda Friday afternoon before it was eventually controlled by firefighters in two hours.

Police had to evacuate residents at the River Bend Apartments, a 50-building complex with 400 units on River Bend Drive, when that fire got within 150 yards. But the winds then shifted in the direction of the fire, moving it away from the complex, fire officials said.

As warm dry winds swept through the Santa Ana Canyon pass, flames in the Featherly Park brush fire often shot up to a height of 30 feet as they swept through dry brush, Featherly Park ranger Bovee said.

About 30 firefighters were originally called to extinguish the flames, but the fire fanned out across the park and blackened 65 acres within three hours, Orange County Fire Department Capt. Hank Raymond said. Several bulldozers and helicopters were rushed to the fire scene as well.

By late Friday evening, the fire was 100% contained, but bumper-to-bumper traffic still moved sluggishly on the eastbound Riverside Freeway through the canyon.

Anaheim resident Maria Luisa Orozco, who was camping on the west side of Featherly Park, said she was told to evacuate her campsite early in the afternoon.

“The flames were higher than the trees. I’ve never seen trees burn like that. The heat was terrible,” Orozco said.

Bob Cornett, caretaker of a bicycle track on Coal Canyon Road, said he almost lost his trailer home when the fire surged to within 25 feet. But he said a fire engine pulled in front of the trailer and firefighters managed to douse the flames before they reached his home.

“I’ve seen fires before, but I’ve never seen it quite like this,” Cornett said.

Traffic heading east on the Riverside Freeway came to a virtual halt when thick, black smoke from the park blaze poured onto the northern portion of the road. At one point, drivers only had four feet of visibility on the road, California Highway Patrol officials said .

One commuter said some drivers made traffic worse by stopping to look at the fire and smoke.

“You could see the helicopters dropping stuff on the fire, and everyone was trying to see what was going on,” he said.

Commuters, who tried to avoid the smoke and fire by using connecting routes such as the Orange and Costa Mesa freeways, also were kept at a standstill because of backed up traffic, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The park fire singed whole sections of the northern embankment of the Riverside Freeway, causing wheat-colored grass to turn gray within seconds. By early evening, a layer of powdery ash was scattered on the ground near the roads, making it appear almost as if the area had been hit by a sudden snowstorm.

Kim Arnold, who owns a condominium with her husband on Old Village Road, said the fire was moving toward her neighborhood before it also switched directions.

“It was a little frightening. I ran out twice to see whether it was coming toward us,” Arnold said.

Laurie De Angelo, who lives on Hartford Road in Yorba Linda, said she saw smoke when she got home about 6 p.m.

“It wasn’t a roaring fire,” she said. “It’s just smoldering right now.”

Although she could see the fire across the street, De Angelo said no evacuations were planned on the block. “No one has told us to leave,” she said.

Residents of the River Bend Apartments evacuated for the Green River Golf Course blaze were allowed to return to their apartments at 5:30 p.m., said Elaine Davis, the accounting manager for the William Lyon Property Management Co., which owns the complex.

Apartment resident Steven Hurt said he arrived home to find fire trucks and police surrounding the complex and then promptly took precaution in case he had to evacuate.

“We’ve made a list of what to take,” Hurt said.

Another resident of the apartment complex, Don Lizar, said that by 7 p.m., almost everything was back to normal in the units. But he said he remained prepared to take personal belongings should anything happen.

The fire, he said, is “not too far away,” he said. “I can smell the smoke.”

The Coal Canyon Stables, where horses are kept, was evacuated as well.

Times staff writers Tom Becher and Ted Johnson contributed to this report.