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A fast-moving forest fire broke out in the southern California town of Laguna Nigel on Wednesday afternoon, local authorities said, affecting about 200 acres, damaging several homes and forcing an evacuation.
No injuries or deaths were reported as of Wednesday night, Orange County Fire Chief Brian Feness told reporters at a news conference. The coastal fire destroyed or damaged approximately 20 more structures, he said. Firefighters were “better off” with the fire and were expected to make progress overnight, he added. “It’s sad to say we’re used to it,” he said.
Laguna Nigel is a rich coastal town about 50 miles from Los Angeles. Some of the endangered and damaged homes were in an area with multimillion-dollar mansions.
The fire reflects a trend toward higher levels of forest fire activity in California, according to official estimates. Of California’s 20 largest wildfires, in terms of the number of acres affected, nine occurred in 2020 and 2021. Three of the five deadliest wildfires have broken out since 2017.
The country is in its third year of severe drought. Major reservoirs have been depleted as the Colorado River, an important source of water for Southern California, experiences a megadouche exacerbated by climate change, the worst in 1,200 years, The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang reported.
California is preparing for an extreme summer drought after a gloomy wet season
Fenesi said recent dry periods have made forest fires easier to spread than in the past. “The humidity is so low that these fires pour out and start,” he said. Recent fires do not necessarily burn thousands of acres, but faster fires are increasing the danger to buildings and people, he said.
The fire at Laguna Niguel was the result of a combination of strong winds, dry vegetation and the steep slope of the area where the fire was first discovered, Fenesi said.
The first responders reported a forest fire around 3 p.m. local time. Citizens near Coronado Pointe Drive, Vista Court and Via Las Rosa were placed under mandatory evacuation orders, which were later extended to cover other areas north of the intersection of Pacific Island Drive and Flying Cloud Drive. Laguna Mayor Nigel Elaine Jenawi told reporters that an evacuation center had been set up where 25 adults, two children and five pets had sought refuge.
The fire does not pose an immediate threat to the neighboring town of Laguna Beach, officials said. Residents of the Balboa Nice neighborhood were temporarily placed on voluntary evacuation orders before being removed later that evening.
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