Smoke Advisory Issued To San Clemente, Pendleton Residents

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — A smoke advisory has been issued for areas near the Cristianitos fire in Southern Orange County. The fire is burning through brush on the edge of San Diego and Orange counties in the Camp Pendleton area.

On Thursday, residents in San Clemente, Ladera Ranch, Oceanside and adjacent communities woke to drift smoke and ash from the brush fire. Winds are from the south this morning, bringing widespread smoke mainly into Orange County and portions of Los Angeles County, according to air quality reports from South Coast Air Quality Management District.

"As winds shift to southwest later Thursday, some smoke will also be possible into Riverside and San Bernardino counties at times," it said.

Air quality may reach unhealthy levels in areas directly impacted by smoke, it said.

The fire, which has spread to more than 700 acres from north Camp Pendleton to San Clemente, began Wednesday at approximately 4:30 p.m. and started in the area of Cristianitos Road at San Mateo State Park, according to OCFA reports.

Read the full story here: Cristianitos Fire At 700 Acres Thursday Morning

As of Thursday at 11 a.m., there were 50 engines currently at work on containing the blaze, including one hand crew and two bulldozers. Currently, no evacuations have been ordered, according to Orange County Fire Authority Information Officer Mike Yeun.

Drift smoke continues to affect areas of south Orange County, and residents are advised to use caution as fire crews and equipment work throughout the fire area.

San Clemente resident Warren Suggs showed pictures of his car covered in ash Thursday morning.

The fire, which is burning through brush, rained ash across neighborhoods in San Clemente.

The Camp Pendleton Fire Department, OCFA, Orange County Sheriff's Department, City of San Clemente, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric and the California State Parks departments are working in concert with each other as cooperating agencies.

"The cause of the fire is currently under investigation," Yeun said. "Fire investigators are still in the preliminary stages and are gathering the facts."

When the investigation is completed, Orange County All-Hazards Incident Management Team I and the Camp Pendleton Fire Department will jointly release that information, he said.

Editor's note: The Cristianitos Fire is also trending on Twitter under #Christianitosfire.

Photo courtesy of OCFA