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Three days after the Coastal Fire first sparked on Wednesday, hundreds of firefighters are still working to contain the blaze.
The fire, which began as a brush fire in the Aliso Woods Canyon, soon expanded to a size of 200 acres by Saturday. It has destroyed 20 homes and damaged another 11.
Hundreds of people had to evacuate after the flames raced up a hillside and into a Laguna Niguel neighborhood.
Time-lapse video shows the Coastal Fire as it spread in an Orange County canyon and burned uphill into a neighborhood, where it burned at least 20 homes and forced evacuations.
As of Saturday afternoon, the fire is 40% contained, according to the Orange County Fire Authority on Twitter.
The slow, careful containment process shrank the mandatory evacuation zone on Saturday. 769 homes have been lifted from evacuation so far, according to the OCFA.
A number of firefighters — 456 in total — remained on the scene to continue containment efforts.
The following streets are still under mandatory evacuation, according to the city of Laguna Niguel:
- Coronado Pointe
- Vista Court
- Via La Rosas
- Vista Montemar (Residences at 71, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80)
An evacuation center was established at the Laguna Niguel Community Center at 28751 Crown Valley Parkway, officials said Friday.
Check here for an interactive map of evacuations, road closures and shelters for the Coastal Fire in Orange County.
Authorities have yet to determine a cause of the wildfire.
Southern California Edison reported possible “circuit activity” at about the time the fire started Wednesday afternoon.
“Our thoughts are with the community members whose homes have been damaged and those who are being (or were) evacuated because of the Coastal Fire, and we are coordinating with fire agencies as needed to ensure firefighter safety,” the utility said in a statement.
“Our top priority is the safety of customers, employees and communities, which is why we continue to enhance our wildfire mitigation efforts through grid hardening, situational awareness and enhanced operational practices.”
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