As the Airport Fire, one of three large wildfires currently burning in southern California, continues to burn for a third day, timelapse footage from a weather station caught in the spread of the fire captured the rapid advance of the flames in Orange and Riverside counties.
On Tuesday, the fire spread through the Cleveland National Forest and up Santiago Peak, where cameras at multiple communications arrays captured their advance. The timelapse footage shows the blaze quickly advancing through a steep and narrow canyon and then engulfing the site in flames.
While the footage shows the fire's spread across the peak, no communications disruptions had been reported in the area.
See wildfire map:California's Line Fire grows to 26,000 acres, more evacuations underway
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Airport fire, which began on September 9, has burned roughly 22, 376 acres, according to Cal Fire. Named for the small facility for flying remote controlled planes near the mouth of Trabuco Canyon where the fire was first reported, the Airport Fire reportedly began accidentally by an Orange County Public Works crew moving boulders with heavy equipment, the Palm Springs Desert Sun reported on September 10.
“The fire is classified as unintentional. The cause of the fire was a spark from heavy equipment,” said Orange County Fire Authority Deputy Chief TJ McGovern, according to the Palm Springs Desert Sun. “After placing a load of boulders, the operators began seeing smoke coming from the area of the loader’s basket.”
Two firefighters had been treated for heat-related injuries as of Wednesday, and a third person was treated for breathing difficulties related to smoke. Two hikers were rescued from a trail near where the fire broke out.
Thousands of residents in and around the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange and Riverside counties have either already evacuated or are preparing to evacuate as the fire continues to burn.
Janet Wilson contributed to this report.
Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected]
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