The Orange County Fire Authority reported a fire at approximately 12:15 PM on Thursday, September 17, 2015. It appeared to be north of Stonehaven/Via del Agua and east of Casino Ridge. It is unconfirmed if Chino Hills State Park lands were involved, but from photos, it seems Esperanza Hills took the majority of the hit. OCFA indicates the fire was contained to about six acres.
Numerous articles have since been published reporting witnesses seeing a man fleeing the scene. It is unclear if the man accidentally or intentionally set the fire or if he was involved at all. SWAT members captured the suspect and he was taken to the hospital to treat unknown injuries after his arrest. Investigations and questioning of this suspect should reveal the facts.
At about 2:30 reports stated the fire was contained and essentially out. Crews from OCFA, CalFire, Anaheim and Fullerton responded and were finishing the mop up phase. Air tankers and helicopters dropped foscheck and water on the fire aiding in its containment.
Residents reported no evacuations, no OC Alert email/text, and no notification from the City of Yorba Linda. The City sent out an email notifying residents of the fire. Ironically it was sent AFTER the fire was out (2.5 hours after it started). The second email reported the fire was out (72 minutes after it was posted social media by fire agencies). Many relayed to us that they heard about the fire from the Protect Our Homes and Hills Facebook page. If you haven’t liked our Facebook page, please do so.
Concerns about fire trucks’ inability to access the site via the Esperanza Hills (legal) access off Stonehaven above Devonport were evidenced in photos. Additionally, no police services stopped traffic or prevented Looky Lous from gaining access to the neighboring streets.
Here are the links to the various reports: