Aliso Fire: Photos Of Fire In Orange County

ALISO VIEJO, CA — On Saturday, June 2 hikers in the area of the Aliso Wilderness Park noticed a curl of smoke and flames at approximately 2 p.m.. Soon after, the brittle hillside erupted into an inferno that would evacuate 2,000 residents and send Orange County under a haze of smoke.

First responders gathered to the scene under a unified command, and due gusting wind driven fire, surrounding neighborhoods were forced into evacuation mode. Laguna Beach Police went door to door, alerting residents that the time to flee was upon them.

.@LagunaBeachPD going door to door in Top of the World telling residents to evacuate NOW. The #AlisoFire is being driven by erratic winds & thick, dry brush and is still 0% contained. @KNX1070 pic.twitter.com/aDKDfd3KUs
— Cooper Rummell (@KNXCooper) June 3, 2018

Onlookers watched the cloud of smoke with concern as more firefighters and air support arrived to battle the blaze.

On Sunday morning, residents awoke to learn the Aliso Fire was still 0% contained. Neighboring hot shot crews were sent to assist Orange County Fire Authority, Newport Beach Fire, Laguna Beach Fire Department and the Orange County Parks Service.

Firefighters recorded the sight of a "fire tornado" due to the "erratic canyon winds."

Elsewhere in the county, the huge column of smoke showed just how much of the wildland was endangered by the firestorm.

While residents dealt with evacuations, awaiting news as to whether their homes survived the night, a group of high school seniors from Costa Mesa watched the scene unfold with their high school memories at risk of being dashed.

"It was the least we could do for them," the Friar Tux store manager told Patch.

Read: Aliso Fire: 75% Contained, 175 Acres Burned Near Laguna Beach

After the fire was brought into further control, OCFA thanked members of the Arcadia Fire Department, Glendale Fire Department and Burbank Fire Department for their assistance in the first big battle of the 2018 fire season.

No structures were lost during the blaze that was listed as 75% contained as of Tuesday. To date, four have been injured battling the fire.

Photos, courtesy Orange County Fire Authority, City of Aliso Viejo, Nicolette Fidel