County Weathers the Windstorm

Roaring winds knocked out power, littered roads with debris and kept firefighters hopping Wednesday, but Orange County escaped wind-stoked wildfires that ravaged other parts of Southern California.

Fire crews responded in force to the smallest brush and house fires, dousing blazes in Brea, Orange, Garden Grove and Camp Pendleton on Wednesday before the flames could explode up parched hillsides or spread to nearby homes.

“We’re very aware of the potential for fire and we’re just keeping that in the forefront of how we do business, especially with the high winds,” said Capt. Paul Hunter of the Orange County Fire Authority.

The dry Santa Ana winds, which peaked at 100 mph in Bell Canyon and reached 51 mph in Orange, are expected to disappear by today, weather forecasters said.

Fire officials remain jittery, however, and said the county will stay on a “red flag” fire warning--indicating the most severe fire danger. Worried fire officials Wednesday also reiterated concerns about fireworks sales in three Orange County cities that are allowing them this year for millennial celebrations.

“It’s critical,” Hunter said. “Even if the winds die down, the humidity is very low and we haven’t had any significant rain in 140 to 150 days.”

Wind caused other problems as well. Southern California Edison officials Wednesday reported minor power outages in Fullerton and Yorba Linda that might have been caused by fallen tree branches.

The winds also sent debris flying across many Orange County freeways and roadways, causing a smattering of fender benders and other mishaps, said Officer JoAnn O’Hair of the California Highway Patrol in Santa Ana.

Officials at the John Wayne Airport and Fullerton Municipal Airport said air travel was not disrupted. Takeoffs at John Wayne were routed northward, taking planes over Tustin and Orange, to allow aircraft to fly into the wind.

The paramount concern throughout the day, however, was the threat of rural and urban firestorms.

A routine house fire in Garden Grove, for example, drew nearly 40 firefighters Wednesday morning, a blitz spurred by fears that the winds might carry sparks and embers to neighboring rooftops.

“Under conditions like these, things that normally wouldn’t burn will burn,” said Garden Grove Battalion Chief David Barlag.

The volatile combination of high-powered winds, dry conditions and precious little rain this year helped fuel a 3,000-acre wildfire in Ojai and a separate 300-acre blaze 10 miles away. At least two homes were destroyed and 200 people were forced to flee because of those blazes.

Earlier on Wednesday, fire crews, aided by leased Canadian SuperScooper tankers, doused an 800-acre blaze in the La Canada-Flintridge area 10 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

Orange County fire authorities sent four strike teams, each including five fire engines and a battalion chief’s vehicle, to help battle those fires in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The crews were plucked from stations throughout the county to ensure no area was left without adequate protection, Hunter said.

“People may ask: What does that do for services here?” he said, referring to Orange County. “We have a plan in place that allows us to assist other counties without drastically depleting resources here in Orange County.”

The blazes scattered throughout Orange County on Wednesday were handled with little difficulty.

Near Brea, a morning brush fire in the desolate, hilly area near Carbon Canyon Road and Lambert Road blackened less than an acre before seven units and a helicopter doused the flames within 20 minutes.

“There was a large response because of the wind,” Brea Fire Capt. Guy Finn said of the combined effort between the Orange County Fire Authority and the Brea Fire Department.

Another blaze scorched about 27 acres in the dry hillsides of Camp Pendleton just south of the county line.

Firefighters from the Marine Corps military base were assisted by a crew from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and contained the fire, reported at 12:14 p.m., within about two hours, said Gunnery Sgt. Lesli Coakley.

A brush fire off the shoulder of the southbound Orange Freeway between Chapman Avenue and the Garden Grove Freeway interchange in Orange also drew a strong response from fire crews.

Firefighters contained the fire to the side of the freeway. It took five engines about 15 minutes to put out the fire, which started at about 1:50 p.m., said Orange Battalion Chief Frank Eickoff.

Although the county survived Wednesday’s harsh Santa Ana winds relatively unscathed, fire authorities reiterated their fear that the greatest wildfire threat may be this millennial New Year’s Eve.

Three cities in the county--Costa Mesa, Garden Grove and Stanton--have authorized the sale of fireworks so residents can celebrate.

“We don’t encourage the sale of fireworks at all,” said Hunter, adding that the fire season has not been closed and there is no rain in sight.

Officials from all three cities said they appreciate the concerns expressed by fire officials, but the sale of fireworks will still be allowed.

“These are state fire-marshal-approved fireworks,” said Garden Grove City Manager George Tindall. “We’re more worried about people shooting off guns.”

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Blown Away

Winds whipped Orange County on Wednesday fueling some small brush fires.

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Location Peak (mph) Bell Canyon 100 Fremont Canyon 82 Orange 51 Tustin 50 Placentia 37 Santa Ana 37 Huntington Beach 36 La Habra 36 Lake Forest 35 Garden Grove 34 Laguna Beach 31 Anaheim 29

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Bell Canyon

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Date Time Speed Gusts 12/21 6 p.m. 6 15 7 p.m. 13 17 8 p.m. 16 33 9 p.m. 14 51 10 p.m. 21 54 11 p.m. 20 63 12/22 Midnight 37 100 1 a.m. 34 88 2 a.m. 23 64 3 a.m. 26 61 4 a.m. 38 68 5 a.m. 14 54 6 a.m. 16 29 7 a.m. NA NA 8 a.m. 24 33 9 a.m. 20 62 10 a.m. 45 55 11 a.m. 22 83 Noon 12 52 1 p.m. 17 49 2 p.m. 16 49 3 p.m. 19 40

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Sources: National Weather Service, California Dept. of Water Resources, KNBC WeatherNet

Graphics reporting by BRADY MacDONALD / Los Angeles Times