Holy Fire (2018)


The Holy Fire was a wildfire that burned in the Cleveland National Forest in Orange and Riverside Counties, California. The wildfire started on August 6, 2018 at around 1:15 PM PDT, in the vicinity of Trabuco Canyon. The suspected arsonist, Forrest Gordon Clark, has been booked into the Orange County jail in Santa Ana, California. The blaze burned and destroyed 18 buildings, before it was fully contained on September 13, 2018. While the fire was actively spreading in early and mid-August, residents of the nearby cities of Corona, Temescal Valley, and Lake Elsinore were placed under evacuation orders.

Timeline

The Holy Fire was first reported at 1:15 PM PST on Monday August 6, 2018, in Holy Jim Canyon, a community of about 40 homes and cabins in the Trabuco Canyon area of the Santa Ana Mountains. Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Trabuco Canyon, including the entire community of Holy Jim. Trabuco Creek Road was subsequently closed at Trabuco Canyon Road indefinitely as the Orange County Sheriff Department continues their investigation. It quickly moved uphill in a northeast direction, jumping the crest of the Santa Ana Mountains into neighboring Riverside County, threatening the areas of Corona, El Cerrito, and Glen Ivy Hot Springs. At the time, the cause of the fire was under investigation.
By the morning of August 7, the fire had increased in size to, and by August 8, it had grown to. Evacuation orders were first issued on August 8. By August 9, more than 21,400 people in 7,449 residences were placed under mandatory evacuation in south Corona, Lake Elsinore, and several communities in the Santa Ana Mountains. Ortega Highway was closed indefinitely, due to fire danger between Antonio Parkway/La Pata in San Juan Capistrano and Grand Avenue in the city of Lake Elsinore.
By August 9, the fire had grown to, which increased by late evening to. More than 1,000 firefighters, as well as 10 helicopters and 7 aircraft were involved. The fire was only 5 percent contained at that point. Temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit and extremely low humidity contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. In addition, the area had not burned since the 1980s, and consequently, had a lot of overgrown and dead brush that fueled the fire. On the night of August 9, Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for Orange and Riverside Counties.
The fire nearly doubled in size overnight between August 9–10, and was reported at on the morning of August 10, with help from the Elsinore Effect. The Elsinore Effect is a local weather phenomena that occurs in the late evenings, when the sun sets behind the Santa Ana Mountains. The warm air above Lake Elsinore rises as it creates low pressure which pulls air down the mountains. This creates unpredictable winds within the canyons of the eastern Santa Ana Mountains, which was driving the fire towards the valley.
At 7 PM PDT on August 10, the fire had grown to, and was 10 percent contained. By the morning of August 11, the fire was at and was 29 percent contained. On the morning of August 13, the fire was and 52 percent contained. The number of firefighters had grown to over 1,500, and there were 86 helicopters and 14 airplanes assisting them. Some evacuations had been lifted, although about 11,000 people remained under evacuation orders. On the morning of August 14, the Holy Fire had grown to, while containment was at 59%. By then, it was also reported that the Holy Fire was dropping ash in the surrounding neighborhoods. On the morning of August 15, the fire remained at, and was 78 percent contained. On August 16, fire growth had stopped, while containment increased to 82%. On August 18, containment increased further to 91%. On August 20, the Holy Fire remained at, while containment increased to 93%. On August 24, containment of the Holy Fire increased to 95%.
On August 26, the Holy Fire was inaccurately reported by multiple sources to be 100% contained. Then, on the morning of August 27, new flames flared up near Santiago Peak, outside the Holy Fire perimeter; the new flames subsequently breached the southern part of the containment lines, in the northwestern portion of the burn area, by, increasing the size of the Holy Fire to. However, officials stated that the new flames presented no threat to people, because the flames were far from communities and containment lines had already been established around the Santiago Peak communication towers. Late on August 27, the new flames had burned at least, with InciWeb reporting that the Holy Fire had grown to, while containment dropped to 94%; the new flames were only 10% contained. On the morning of August 28, no further growth in the fire was reported, while containment remained at 94%. During the evening of September 13, the Holy Fire was 100% contained.

Impact

By August 8, thirteen cabins had been destroyed in Holy Jim. No major injuries were reported. By August 10, one home along Ortega Highway had also been destroyed, the only confirmed home in Riverside County at that time. By August 13, the Holy Fire had destroyed a total of 18 structures in both Orange and Riverside Counties.

Evacuation areas

On August 13, the neighborhoods under mandatory evacuation included:
As of August 13, neighborhoods under voluntary evacuation included:
The fire was allegedly started by 51-year-old Forrest Gordon Clark; it was ignited near a cabin owned by Clark in the Holy Jim Canyon community. He was arrested on August 8, 2018 and booked into the Orange County Jail on suspicion of two counts of felony arson, one count of felony threat to terrorize, and one count of misdemeanor resisting arrest. Two weeks before the fire started, Clark reportedly sent a message to Mike Milligan, the volunteer fire chief of Holy Jim Volunteer Fire Department, reading "This place is going to burn." However, Clark later claimed he was asleep at the time the fire started. Clark is currently being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Court appearances

On August 10, 2018, Forrest Gordon Clark made his first court appearance. He was originally scheduled to appear on August 9, 2018. However, he refused to leave his jail cell. He was due back in court on August 17, 2018. On August 17, when he appeared for the second time, which was the third attempt for his court hearing, Clark’s erratic behavior caused a judge to stop the normal proceedings, ending with a suspension of the charges so Clark’s mental health and competency can be examined. Two examinations were submitted before his next court appearance on October 10, 2018. A third, "tie-breaking" examination was ordered after competing examinations were submitted. On November 28, 2018, Clark was ruled competent to assist attorneys in his defense, and subsequently the resisting arrest charges were dropped. On December 12, 2018, he pled not guilty to the remaining charges.