Sunday afternoon after a day of Santana winds, a fire was reported near Irvine Lake and the 241 Toll rd. Within an hour it was headed towards Irvine. Concerned we went and looked ending up on Sand Canyon watching it come down the hill towards Portola Rd behind Irvine.
Monday the fire moved east and also crosed the Toll Rd as it approached Foothill Ranch. By afternoon it had circled the development and was headed through the brush of Whitting Wilderness Park towards our community of Portola Hills. By 9:00 tThe Fire dept had deployed trucks at hydrants every 6 houses further up our street to prepare for the battle.
Meanwhile we packed up papers, art, photos, cameras, Cannon & Co molds into 2 cars and prepared to evacuate if necessary. It was a long night.
Tuesday dawned with the fire behind the houses up at the end of the street. Slowly it came around the corner as it consumed any brush. Fortunately the slope behind us had been mostly cleared of brush and weeds and the field below was plowed, so other than some brush in the bottom third of the slope we were pretty well prepared. As you can see it did burn below us, but not very fierce. Still about 50 ft from the back fence. Way too close.
The danger seems to have passed and we are OK. Here are some images and maps

Dave & Melanie