Carbon Fire Update

Thanks to Watch Duty and CalFire, it was reported a little over four hours ago that the Carbon Fire, burning some 210 acres between Olinda Village and Olinda Ranch in Brea on the north side of Carbon Canyon Road (State Route 142), was 71% contained.

During the day, there were 20 engines from a quartet of three-strike teams, nine hand crews, two dozers, two water tenders, drones and many firefighters engaged in the battle to control the blaze and deal with hot spots, which, as many of us now, can flare up into new fires.

With all evacuation warnings lifted earlier, the Red Cross care and reception center located at the Chino Hills Community Center was also closed today and Carbon Canyon Road opened before 4 p.m.  Those driving through later could see some of the equipment parked along the highway.

A great deal of thanks is owed to all of the agencies and personnel deployed to combat the conflagration, which was fanned by strong winds, though tempered by the light rain which fell last night.  While the investigation continues, it should be noted that many such fires along roadways can be caused by sparks from vehicles—again, this is only a general statement and we'll see if any identification is made as to a cause.

Just 45 minutes or so before the fire burst forth, the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council concluded the first of a pair of Brush Drop Off events on the Chino Hills side of the Canyon.  These events, held for many years, involve the collection of brush and other material culled from properties and two roll-off bins were filled, comprising many thousands of pounds of brush.

 

While these help to mitigate some of the risk of wildfires in the Canyon, the Carbon Fire is yet another reminder that there is no longer a "fire season" and the threat of a blaze is present year-round.  Residents clearing material at their houses, CalTrans keeping dry brush away from the roadway of Carbon Canyon Road, and other property owners limiting the brush on their land are all part of the effort to reduce the possibility of a devastating conflagration like those of 2008, 1990, 1980, 1978 and in the years prior.

Thanks to Matt Eseltine for his remarkable photos of the Carbon Fire!

Carbon Fire Forward Movement Halted

 According to a 1:50 a.m. update by Alert Duty, forward movement on the Carbon Fire, scorching around 200 acres near Olinda Village on the Brea side of Carbon Canyon was halted by firefighting personnel working since the blaze burst out almost exactly 12 hours prior.

Carbon Canyon Road looks to remain closed as work continues on combating the conflagration.  For some remarkable video, check this out from the Orange County Fire Authority.

Much appreciation to all of the agencies and personnel who are working tirelessly to fight this fire and keep it from houses, structures and people!

Thanks to Matt Eseltine for sharing photos taking of the blaze and those fighting it!

Brush Fire Between Olinda Ranch and Olinda Village

Within the last 10 minutes, alerts have been issued of a brush fire in Brea, between Olinda Ranch and Olinda Village. Because of gusty winds, the flames have been moving toward the latter and several acres burned at last report. The fire response includes a variety of equipment and Carbon Canyon Road is closed while the blaze is being battled.

From the Orange County Register:

Firefighters on Saturday afternoon, April 25 were battling a wind-driven vegetation fire that scorched 4 acres in Brea, authorities said.

The blaze, dubbed the Carbon Fire, was reported around 1:45 p.m. on the north side of Carbon Canyon Road, according to Watch Duty, a nonprofit app that tracks wildfires. The fire quickly spread to 4 acres, and was approaching the neighborhood of Olinda Village.

Carbon Canyon Road was closed down between Brea Hill and Ruby, the Brea Police Department announced.

An additional five engines, two tankers and a helicopter were requested by incident command to combat the blaze.

From NBC4 Los Angeles a little before 3:30 p.m.:

Evacuation warnings were issued Saturday afternoon after a brush fire broke out in an unincorporated area of Brea.

The Carbon Fire was reported just after 1:30 p.m. in the area of Carbon Canyon and Olinda Place near Carbon Canyon Regional Park, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

The blaze, which is currently at about 5 acres, prompted officials to issue an evacuation warning for Hollydale Mobile Home Park and Olinda Village. The public is asked to avoid the area until further notice.

As a result of the firefight, Carbon Canyon Road is closed between Ruby Drive and Break Hills Avenue.

It’s unclear what caused the fire.

Further updates, 6:30 p.m.: The Carbon Fire, involving some 200 acres, burns toward the north, apparently in Chino Hills State Park and other land, away from Olinda Village. Further firefighting resources have been requested in the form of 20 engines, 4 hand crews and 2 dozers. The City of Brea, it is reported, is keeping Carbon Canyon Road closed until tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon.

Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council Brush Drop Off Tomorrow

Tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council, in partnership with Waste Management and the City of Chino Hills is holding one of twice annual Brush Drop Off events on Canon Lane, north of Carbon Canyon Road and just past Fire Station 64.

Carbon Canyon residents are encouraged to bring cut brush for deposit in roll-off bins provided by the disposal company and Fire Safe Council members will be on hand to assist.  The National Weather Service forecasts a slight chance, some 20%, of showers after 11 a.m., but if you get out early to cut or bring your brush over, you can avoid the wet weather, if any.

 

Tres Hermanos Ranch Hike: The Namesake of Tonner Canyon Road

Following the Tres Hermanos Ranch Hike, in which more than 600 persons participated and walked most of the way along Tonner Canyon Road, some history of namesake Patrick C. Tonner can be found in the first part of a post on The Homestead Blog.

Tres Hermanos Ranch Hike on 22 April!

 After a series of guided tours of Tres Hermanos Ranch, the newest event at this roughly 2,500-acre local gem, managed by an authority comprised of the cities of Chino Hills, Diamond Bar and Industry, is a self-guided three-mile hike from Grand Avenue Park in Chino Hills to the ranch headquarters and back. For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/CityofDiamondBarCA/posts/pfbid0v18nQHDFvSdPRsepSXSGtFZ86bZDekC7ChrMjfRnnBRL94SL9Ez8hfPZ1vmw8swul

LA County Fire Dept Prescribed Burn in Tonner Canyon Today

 For those seeing/smelling smoke in our area, please note this from the City of Chino Hills:

Smoke may be visible in the Chino Valley today, March 30, due to a one-day prescribed burn in Tonner Canyon being conducted by Los Angeles County Fire Department. Prescribed burns are effective tools in preventing large, destructive wildfires. These planned burns are carefully managed to reduce smoke impacts and improve wildland health.

More Carbon Canyon Road (SR 142) Work This Week

 The project continues, per the City of Chino Hills: 

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will continue their road maintenance on State Route 142 (Carbon Canyon Road) from Tuesday, March 24, to Thursday, March 26, from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. Crews will be conducting a survey and routine road repairs that will require one-way traffic control from Carriage Hills Lane to Feldspar Drive. Please watch for signage and remember to reduce your speed in and around work zones. For questions, please contact Caltrans District 8 at (213) 503-0161.

Carbon Canyon Road (State Route 142) Work This Week

This was just sent out about an hour ago from the City of Chino Hills:

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will be conducting road maintenance on State Route 142 (Carbon Canyon Road) from Tuesday, March 17, to Thursday, March 19, from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. Crews will be conducting a survey and routine road repairs that will require one-way traffic control from Carriage Hills Lane to Azurite Drive. Please watch for signage and remember to reduce your speed in and around work zones. For questions, please contact Caltrans District 8 at (213) 503-0161.

The link is to a CalTrans "Commuter Alert" press release.

Soquel Canyon History Presentation Next Monday for Chino Hills Historical Society

Next Monday, 9 February at 7:00 p.m. at the Chino Hills Community Center at 14250 Peyton Drive, the Chino Hills Historical Society holds the first of three meetings for 2026, with the topic for the presentation being some history of Soquel Canyon, which lies adjacent on the south of Carbon Canyon.

Redlands Citrograph, 26 May 1900.

The presentation will cover some 150 years including an early reference to an outlaw's hiding place, the 1880s oil boomtown of Petrolia, the canyon's use as part of long-standing Chino Ranch Ride, and decades as a location of weapons testing by Aerojet Corporation starting during the Cold War years. 

We hope to see you there!

Olinda History Presentation Next Wednesday at Yorba Linda Public Library

A presentation on some of the history of the Olinda Ranch, Olinda Oil Field and the 1880s boomtown of Carlton (near today's Imperial Hwy. and Rose Dr.) will be given next Wednesday, 4 February @ 6 p.m. at the Yorba Linda Public Library Community Room.

Los Angeles Herald, 3 February 1888.

A PowerPoint slide show and display of historic artifacts are included.  Hope to see you there!

Chino Hills Historical Society Talks for 2026

The Chino Hills Historical Society has issued a press release detailing its three meetings for 2026, including the first presentation on Monday, 9 February on some history of Soquel Canyon, which is adjacent on the south to Carbon Canyon and merges with it at Olinda Village in Brea.  The talk will go as far back as the 1850s and also discuss the oil boomtown of Petrolia, the Chino Ranch Ride, and some more modern history.

On Monday, 8 June, there'll some discussion of some of the history of what, in the 1970s and 1980s, became Chino Hills State Park, including its long use for livestock grazing.  Lastly, on Monday, 12 October, the focus will return to Boys Republic, the institution for troubled teens that has been in Chino Hills for nearly 120 years, with rarely seen photos and a focus on Clyde Doyle, who had a long relationship with the facility and served many terms in the House of Representatives.

We hope you can join us for these talks on local history!

Sleepy Hollow 100th Anniversary Presentation Video Now Available

In October 2023, the Chino Hills community of Sleepy Hollow, nestled in the midst of Carbon Canyon adjacent to the border with Brea and Orange County, marked its centennial with a celebration at the Sleepy Hollow Community Center (which is now deemed surplus property and is likely to be sold, not having been used since this event).  

This included a PowerPoint slide presentation and summary of some of the neighborhood's history, reminiscences from long-time residents and descendants of Sleepy Hollow founders Cleve and Elizabeth Purington, a display of photos and artifacts and, despite a car crash along Carbon Canyon Road at the summit (this spot just hit again a few days ago with internet and phone service affected, though not electricity), a generator was quickly secured to power the event.

A Chino Hills Historical Society talk took place the following day at the city's community center and included the illustrated talk, the Purington and long-time resident recollections and displays.  Not only was there no power outage, but the evening was recorded and, along with the St. Joseph's Hill of Hope presentation shared yesterday, is now uploaded to the City of Chino Hills YouTube channel.  

Thanks to everyone involved in the recording and editing of the video, which can be viewed here.

St. Joseph's Hill of Hope Presentation Video Now Available

Last October's presentation for the Chino Hills Historical Society on some of the remarkable and little-known history of the St. Joseph's Hill of Hope community, which has been on more than 400 acres in the hills adjoining Carbon Canyon on the north for more than a half-century, was, unfortunately, unaccompanied by illustrations because of technical issues at the meeting room in the community center.

Thanks to the City of Chino Hills, however, a recording was made in late November at City Hall and has been edited and just recently uploaded on to the City's YouTube channel.  Appreciation is extended to Valerie McClung, who made the arrangements, and Edward Chan, who handled the recording and editing, for their work on the video, as well as to Roberta and Michael Haag of St. Joseph's Hill of Hope for taking part in both the live and recorded presentations.

Check out the video here.

Sleepy Hollow Items in Chino Valley Champion

There are two items in the latest edition of the Chino Valley Champion, our local weekly that has been continuously published since 1887 and deserves the support of all the residents in this area, concerning Sleepy Hollow.

The first is that the City of Chino Hills is mulling options for what to do with the Community Center, which is considered surplus property and has not been used since the 100th anniversary of Sleepy Hollow was celebrated there in October 2023.  It looks as if a sale is being pursued, but the question is what to do with a building not easily convertible to a residence, but may be hard to sell for commercial purposes.  

It has been suggested that it be taken over by non-profits, but maintenance costs will be significant, including the fact that it lacks sewers and septic and has a holding tank instead.  The drainage on both sides of the structure is also natural and there have, in heavy rains, been some issues with that.  As for the 11-space unpaved parking area across from the building, the idea was to include that for disposition, as well, but it appears the sentiment is to keep it for public parking.

So far, the issue has been the subject of City staff study and reporting to the Council and there will next be a Planning Commission hearing at which it will be discussed.  At a recent Council meeting, resident David Miller, who lives adjacent to the building and who was joined by other Sleepy Hollow residents, spoke  about the issues with the building, as reported by Marianne Napoles.

Napoles also wrote about a recent undisclosed settlement between the City and an unnamed owner of property of vacant land adjacent to long-shuttered apartments at the east end of Sleepy Hollow and on the south side of Carbon Canyon Road.  A couple of years ago, residents noted the wholesale removal of trees, including oaks protected by a City ordinance, and the destruction was halted, but not before a significant number of them were either removed or severely cut.  

The City could not provide details to Napoles concerning the agreement reached with the owner, who , apparently, claimed ignorance of the ordinance, but it seems likely that at least part of the settlement was a requirement to replant trees on the lot, which has had a small concrete foundation, though whether a house or other structures are part of a plan for the use of the property is not known.

Happy New Year to our readers!