Golf Swing Causes Huge Brush Fire

MISSION VIEJO, CA — It wasn't a cigar thrown into the rough. The spark that ignited the fire at the Arroyo Trabuco golf course came from a club striking a rock, according to Orange County Fire Authority investigators and witness statements.

A golfer hit his ball into the rough at the Mission Viejo area golf course. When he attempted to hit the ball out, the club sparked against a rock. That spark leaped to tinder dry brush, which burst into a rapid flame.

"The golfers tried to extinguish the fire with the water they had on hand and it got away from them," Capt. Larry Kurtz of the OCFA said. "The fire raced uphill."

The golfers reported the blaze, and the fire was determined accidental by OCFA Investigators, according to Kurtz.

"This was a non-intentional fire," he said. Whether the golfers will be held responsible is unknown at this time but ultimately up to the investigators.

Resources were to remain on site through Tuesday evening conducting mop-up around the perimeter of the fire, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz said.

"We will likely have units check throughout the night," Kurtz said in an interview Tuesday. "Forward progress on the fire has been stopped."

Containment work was set to go through the night as crews were to create a 50- to 100-foot fire break around the perimeter.

As of 7 p.m. there are no more visible flames in the Ladera Ranch area fire that broke out Tuesday afternoon, thanks to rapid work by the Orange County Fire Authority. With structures in danger, the whole of OCFA went to fast work with all available resources, according to Kurtz.

Structures on Foliate Way and Snow Bush Street were threatened, and several engines from Orange County Fire Authority and neighboring agencies were available. Afternoon flames were visible from O'Neil Drive, and smoke columns were seen as far away as San Juan Capistrano, as shared on Twitter and other social media feeds.

"This fire burned with a moderate rate of spread, as it was a slope-driven fire, not wind-driven," Kurtz said, referring to the fire's spread being driven by the topography. "That is good news."

No wind meant the fire moved slowly, and a good number of resources on hand gave robust response to this wildland fire.

"OCFA puts a lot of apparatus on these fires, and we attack them early and hard to keep them that way," he said. "What you do in the first hour of the fire can determine if the fire will last for three hours or three days."

The Trabuco Fire, which burned close to Saddleback College and Ladera Ranch in Mission Viejo, has burned a total of 98-acres, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

One-hundred forty firefighters battled the wildfire, and three helicopters dropped water to quell the blaze. No injuries were reported, and no mandatory evacuations were necessary, according to Kurtz.

Several strike teams filled neighborhoods in the area of Foliate Way and Snow Bush Street to provide immediate structure support, according to Kurtz.

The fast-moving brush fire began near Arroyo Trabuco Golf Course on Avery Parkway at about 2:30 p.m.

Story will be updated as additional information becomes available. Refresh this page for updates.

Photo courtesy OCFA Fire