In a view from Top of the World in Laguna Beach, flames burn vegetation Saturday afternoon, June 2, in Wood Canyon in Laguna Niguel. (Photo by Richard Koehler, contributing photographer)

A helicopter flies into position to put out a hot spot in the Aliso fire in this photo taken from the Top Of The World Elementary school looking towards Soka University. The Aliso brush fire burned more than 200 acres in Wood Canyon between Soka University and the Top of the World Community Park in Laguna Beach on Saturday, June 2. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

Sound The gallery will resume in seconds

The Aliso brush fire burned more than 200 acres in Wood Canyon between Soka University and the Top of the World Community Park in Laguna Beach on Saturday, June 2. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

Flames and smoke rise from a brush fire in Wood Canyon on Saturday afternoon, June 2. (Photo by Richard Koehler, contributing photographer)

A plane drops fire retardant into a canyon below Top of the World elementary school in Laguna Beach. Soka University can be seen in the background. The Aliso brush fire burned more than 200 acres in Wood Canyon between Soka University and the Top of the World Community Park in Laguna Beach on Saturday, June 2. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)



A helicopter puts out a hotspot in Wood Canyon below Top of the World Elementary school in Laguna Beach. The Aliso brush fire burned more than 200 acres in Wood Canyon between Soka University and the Top of the World Community Park in Laguna Beach on Saturday, June 2. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

In a view from Top of the World in Laguna Beach, a fixed-wing aircraft drops retardant on a brush fire Saturday afternoon, June 2 in Wood Canyon in Laguna Niguel. (Photo by Richard Koehler, contributing photographer)

Fire fighters and residents watch a brush fire burn in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park in Laguna Niguel from Top of the World in Laguna Beach, Saturday afternoon, June 2, 2018. The fire is being fought by 200 firefighters, fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. (Photo by Richard Koehler, Contributing Photographer)

In a view from Top of the World in Laguna Beach, a helicopter drops water on a brush fire Saturday afternoon, June 2, in Wood Canyon in Laguna Niguel. (Photo by Richard Koehler, contributing photographer)

In a view from Top of the World in Laguna Beach, a helicopter drops water on a brush fire Saturday afternoon, June 2, in Wood Canyon in Laguna Niguel. (Photo by Richard Koehler, contributing photographer)



In a view from Top of the World in Laguna Beach, a fixed-wing aircraft drops retardant on a brush fire Saturday afternoon, June 2, in Wood Canyon in Laguna Niguel. (Photo by Richard Koehler, contributing photographer)



Smoke rises from a brush fire in Wood Canyon on Saturday afternoon, June 2. (Photo by Jeff Goertzen, SCNG staff)

Smoke rises from a brush fire in Aliso Woods Canyon on Saturday afternoon, June 2, 2018. (Photo Courtesy OCFA))

Smoke rises from a brush fire in Wood Canyon on Saturday afternoon, June 2. (Photo by Jeff Goertzen, SCNG staff)



A plane drops fire retardant into a canyon below Top of the World elementary school in Laguna Beach. Soka University can be seen in the background. The Aliso brush fire burned more than 200 acres in Wood Canyon between Soka University and the Top of the World Community Park in Laguna Beach on Saturday, June 2. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

Update: There was no containment of the fire as of 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 3. Most evacuation orders for the Laguna Beach Top of the World neighborhoods remained in place and were to last until further notice. The Orange County Fire Authority revised its acreage estimate early Sunday, to 200 acres, said Batallion Chief Mike Summers.

See the latest story here

***

Hundreds of firefighters on Saturday battled an aggressive 200-acre brush fire whipped by erratic winds in Wood Canyon between Soka University and Laguna Beach’s Top of the World community park. The blaze forced thousands of mandatory evacuations.

Aliso Fire Update: Firefighters making good progress while the wind has diminished some what. 250+ acres. 0% containment. 300+ firefighters onscene. Structures still threatened, but none damaged. One firefighter leg injury. Mild status. #alisoviejo — OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) June 3, 2018

Aliso Fire: Now at 50+ acres. 200+ firefighters onscene. Spot fires starting and pushed by canyon winds. pic.twitter.com/mnaNmrKgqA — OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) June 2, 2018

By sundown Saturday, June 2, fire officials had revised their initial estimate of 250 acres down to 120 acres after an aircraft crew was able to more thoroughly map the contours of the burned area, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Tony Bommarito. (On Sunday morning, the estimate was revised again, to 200 acres.)

Aliso Fire: Mandatory evacuations beginning in the City of Aliso Viejo in the area of Wood Canyon and Pacific Park to Wood Canyon and Laurel. Approx 2000 homes. — OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) June 3, 2018

Some 1,500 residents in the Top of the World and Old Top of the World areas were told they had to leave and stay away overnight, said Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Jim Cota.

That includes neighborhoods along Alta Laguna Boulevard, down Park Avenue to Bern Drive, and Temple Hills Drive to Dorn Court, he said.

In Aliso Viejo, about 2,000 homes were being evacuated in the area of Wood Canyon and Pacific Park to Wood Canyon and Laurel. But at 9 p.m., the Aliso Viejo evacuation order was lifted, with the fire no longer deemed a threat to homes there, the OCFA said.

Earlier in the day, the blaze could be seen burning up one side of the canyon wall toward Laguna Beach. On the other side, it was racing up a hillside behind the university in the direction of Aliso Viejo neighborhoods.

There was no containment as of 9 p.m..

Aliso Fire: 75+ acres. 0% containment. 275 + firefighters onscene. Unified Command with OCFA, OCSD, OC Parks and Cal Fire. Evacuations ongoing in the Top of the World neighborhoods in Laguna Beach. No injuries reported. No structures damaged. — OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) June 2, 2018

“This is extremely concerning,” said Matt Lawson, who chairs Laguna Beach’s Emergency Preparedness Committee and lives in the Diamond Crestview neighborhood. “This is directly what we’ve heard from Cal Fire and OCFA – that we are in an extreme dangerous peak fire period.

“There have been six years of drought and there is an enormous amount of dead vegetation,” he said. “Ninety percent of the city is in high fire danger. We’re all in this together.

“You don’t have to live next to the burn area to be at very high fire risk.“

One firefighter suffered a leg injury, the OCFA said at about 6:30 p.m. He was treated at the scene. No other injuries or structural damages were reported.

As the winds died down and the temperature dropped significantly Saturday night, the smoke that had filled the canyon thinned out, showing sporadic hot spots, which were being targeted by water drops from helicopters.

It was a far cry from a few hours earlier, when unpredictable flames jumped fire lines and repeatedly stymied crews’ efforts to contain them.

Top of the World residents hurriedly loaded belongings into cars and fled amid the sounds of sirens from fire engines.

“I’m going to a senior center,” Lucille Wagner shouted as she drove away with a cat and bird in tow.

Charles Burton, who has lived at the Top World for about 50 years, went through Laguna Beach’s devastating firestorm in 1993. He was prepared for Saturday’s evacuation, he said. All he had to do was grab important documents, computer hard drives stored in a fireproof safe, load his son into his vehicle and make a run for it.

“Being prepared all the time is important in this situation,” he said.

Burton wasn’t worried that flames would reach his home because, at that time at least, the winds seemed to be blowing away from Laguna Beach.

Some onlookers had grown progressively worried as the day wore on.

“Initially it was curious and interesting, but now it’s getting scary,” said Matthew Wheaton, who lives in Top Of the World, before the mandatory evacuations were instituted. “I’m rushing back up the hill to start packing valuables in case they start to evacuate us. Having lived in Laguna my whole life, I have a pretty good respect for fire danger in our town. But this is getting a lot closer to my home than I would like.”

Mary Jo Stegwell, who also lives in Top of the World, watched as smoke billowed from a deep canyon near her home. She praised the rapid response by firefighters. “They are doing a great job killing off sections (of the fire) one at a time,” she said.

Wood Canyon is part of Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, which borders several Orange County cities.

Multiple engines were placed between the flames and nearby homes to protect properties and were to remain there overnight. About 400 firefighters were in or around the canyon by late Saturday afternoon, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

Laguna Vegetation Fire: Below Top of the World and behind Soka University. One acre, heavy brush. Structure defense engines in place. 4 helicopters and 2 fixed aircraft enroute. pic.twitter.com/Pjpidx2p5W — OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) June 2, 2018

Several helicopters and fixed wing aircraft were battling the blaze, with the helicopters dropping water and the aircraft attacking it with fire retardant.

Ground crews initially were hampered by the heavy brush, Bommarito said.

“Thick brush, thick fuel that hasn’t burned in 100 years and erratic winds,” he said. “The wind changed direction half a dozen times.”

As of 7 p.m.,however, the winds had died down.

The fire was first reported around 1:15 p.m.

Allan Garcia, a facilities services worker at Soka, said he was driving in the area at about the time it began and “it looked like a little bit of smoke, like a barbecue, and it just kept growing and growing.” He said he later heard that a student in one of the dorms saw it, too, and called 911.

Garcia said the blaze came within 15 feet of a building, and caught some grass next to a sidewalk on fire. He said the flames quickly grew to 8 to 10 feet.

ABC7 reported that the Costa Mesa High School prom was to be held at Soka and had to be postponed. By late Saturday afternoon, several groups of young people dressed in what looked like prom attire were seen in neighborhoods near the university.

Firefighters from Laguna Beach, Anaheim, Brea, Camp Pendleton, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach and the city of Orange were assisting, Bommarito said. Some crews planned to stay overnight and all day Sunday, he said.

In 1993, a massive wildfire burned over 16,000 acres and destroyed 400 homes in Laguna Beach.