Holy Fire: Firefighters Gain Ground, More Evacuations Lifted

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Evacuation orders have been lifted for three more communities in Riverside County after firefighters made progress against the Holy Fire, which is 72 percent contained after charring 22,986 acres in the Cleveland National Forest.

Mandatory evacuation orders were lifted for the Mystic Oaks community near Lake Elsinore, as well as the El Cariso and Rancho Capistrano areas in Riverside county.

But the Blue Jay, Falcon and Los Pinos campgrounds all remained closed, along with trails leading into the burn area.

The containment figure had been listed at 64 percent until Wednesday's update, which was reported by fire officials after daybreak.

A voluntary evacuation order for the Trilogy area in Temescal Valley also remained in effect. Long Canyon Road loop remains closed on the west above the entrance to Mystic Oaks and on the east on North Main Divide at Ortega (74) Highway. In a positive development for motorists, a long stretch of the Ortega (74) Highway that was closed between Riverside and Orange counties due to the fire was reopened to traffic Tuesday.

Power is off in the Highway 74 corridor. Southern California Edison crews are working to restore power in the area.

The U.S. Forest Service said it anticipates full containment of the blaze by August 21.

School districts affected by the fire delayed the start of the school year until next week. The Lake Elsinore Unified School District will go back on Monday.

Schools in the Corona-Norco Unified School District located south of the 91 Freeway and east of Border Avenue in Corona also pushed back the first day of school, until next Monday.

Firefighters were able to save a threatened school in the district, Rice Canyon Elementary, from flames, stopping them just before they reached the campus.

The city of Corona announced a day camp to help working parents of students this week. It will be open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Fees are $110 for residents and $140 for non-residents, with priority for parents of students at fire-affected schools.

In Orange County, Trabuco and Holy Jim canyons remained under mandatory evacuation orders, and all campgrounds in the Trabuco Ranger District were closed. Back country fire roads were closed to hiking and bicycling, including Trabuco Creek, Maple Springs, North Main Divide, Bedford and Indian Truck Trail.

Although the number of evacuation orders continued to dwindle, an evacuation center remained open at Temescal Canyon High School, 28755 El Toro Road in Lake Elsinore.

More than 1,300 firefighters continued to battle the fire, which spread from Orange County's eastern mountains toward Santiago Peak, and over the mountains to the hills above Lake Elsinore.

Structure defense was expected to continue in areas still threatened by flames while mop up will be ongoing as crews bring the fire under control, officials said.

As of Monday, 18 homes had been confirmed destroyed -- 12 in Orange County and six in Riverside County. The Orange County structures lost were believed to be primarily in the Holy Jim Canyon area, the flashpoint of the fire.

The fire was initially reported at 1:15 p.m. Aug. 6 near Holy Jim Canyon and Trabuco Creek roads, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Tony Bommarito said. The fire dramatically increased in size near the Horsethief Canyon area on Aug. 8, then jumped the North Main Divide dirt road, burning into the Lake Elsinore area of Riverside County, Bommarito said.

Bommarito noted that the area probably hasn't burned since the early 1980s.

The man accused of starting the fire, 51-year-old Forrest Gordon Clark, remained jailed in Santa Ana in lieu of $1 million bail. He appeared in a Santa Ana courtroom Friday and labeled the arson charges against him a "lie."

When a court commissioner ordered his bail to remain at $1 million, Clark said he could easily afford it and asked whether he could pay it right away.

Clark was charged with aggravated arson damaging at least five inhabited structures, arson of inhabited property, arson of forest and criminal threats, all felonies, as well as two misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest.

His arraignment was delayed until this coming Friday, and he could face 10 years to life in prison.

Residents seeking information on the Holy Fire may call (714) 573- 6200, or register at rivcoready.org for text updates.

— By City News Service / Image by Mark Ritter