Backfires to be set to fight Ortega Fire today

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO - Firefighters plan to fight fire with fire today, setting backfires to destroy the brush that has been fueling the 250-acre blaze in Verdugo Canyon, an Orange County Fire Authority captain said.

The Ortega Fire was estimated 75 percent contained, with firefighters hoping for full containment by tonight, OCFA Capt. Greg McKeown said.

No structures were immediately threatened but the blaze was burning in dense chaparral, oak and other fire-friendly species that last burned decades ago.

Although the fire was named for the nearby Ortega (74) Highway, the commuter route remained open, McKeown said.

Firefighter safety will be the top priority at this morning's command center briefing. Three firefighters have required treatment for minor injuries and heat exhaustion since the blaze broke out late Monday morning.

Bulldozers and water-dropping aircraft are among the tools firefighters plan to use today to corral the blaze.

Cooler temperatures forecast for today should help firefighters, although humidity levels in the area were at 10-15 percent this morning, which is lower and drier than at this time yesterday, said Greg Martin, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in San Diego.

The blaze was sparked by a downed power pole on a rugged hillside about 10 miles east of San Juan Capistrano, said Orange County Fire Authority Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion.

A tractor being used to clear brush for farming purposes knocked down the pole and the power lines sparked the blaze about 11:30 a.m., four miles east of Antonio Parkway, Concepcion said.

Due to rugged terrain, fire commanders relied on aircraft to fight the flames that ground crews could not reach. Four helicopters and two fixed-wing planes made drops on the fire until sundown Monday, while 300 firefighters were assigned to the blaze overnight, according to McKeown.

Three firefighters were treated, one for a facial injury, one for a knee injury, and one for heat exhaustion, McKeown said.

Fire crews planned ``firing out'' operations late Monday and early today to consume unburned fuel and attempt to gain the upper hand on the blaze, McKeown said. He estimated the nearest homes were more than two miles from the fire.