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OCFA chief, city emergency manager update council on fast‑moving Trabuco Canyon fire
Summary
Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Moll told the Mission Viejo City Council the Trabuco Canyon vegetation fire had rapidly expanded — by the morning it had burned thousands of acres and crews were conducting mandatory evacuations and unified command operations. City staff described shelters, hotlines and public information resources.
Chief Moll of the Orange County Fire Authority and Mission Viejo emergency services manager Paul Katzamanis briefed the council on a multi‑county vegetation fire that began in Trabuco Canyon.
"By the night by midnight last night, it was right around 5,000 acres," Chief Moll said, and by the time of his report the fire had "just over 19,000 acres." He described a plume‑dominated fire creating its own weather, unified command with the Orange County Sheriff, mandatory evacuations for Robinson Ranch, and crews using dozers, strike teams, helicopters and fixed‑wing aircraft to protect communities and infrastructure. Katzamanis said the county public information hotline for the event was activated at (714) 628‑7085 and urged residents to check the city GIS evacuation‑zone map.
Council members asked about firefighter injuries and mutual‑aid resources. Moll said there were no major injuries but reported an increase in heat‑related or minor injuries among personnel and that fatigue was a concern after continuous operations; he said the incident would be supported by strike teams from other regions and a type‑1 incident management team expected to arrive the following day. Council and staff noted coordination with the Red Cross and Orange County Social Services on potential reception and care sites, and Katzamanis said the city was monitoring shelter needs at the Norman P. Murray center.
