3-Acre Brush Fire in Laguna Beach

A brush fire prompted voluntary evacuations in a Laguna Beach neighborhood on Sunday, but crews reported 100-percent containment later in the day.

The roughly 3-acre blaze was reported shortly after noon in the 30600 block of Pacific Coast Highway near Nyes Place (map). Winds were blowing at about 10 mph and temperatures in the area reached 80 degrees by 2:30 p.m.

Some 150 firefighters were battling the blaze. It was 80 degrees in Laguna Beach by 2:30 p.m. with a relative humidity of 54 percent and 10 mph winds, according to the National Weather Service.

White smoke could be seen for miles as at least one retardant-dropping helicopter worked with ground crews to attack the fire.

The Orange County Emergency Ops Centers described the fire as being located above Ruby’s Diner. Viewers reported seeing the fire from Victoria Beach.

"The fire appears to be very much under control now," resident David Weisenthal said, citing plumes of white smoke as his indicator.

Sunday’s coastal fire was the latest in a series of blazes that popped up across Southern California during a weekend heat wave.

Just before the rush-hour commute on Friday, a brush fire broke out in the Sepulveda Pass. The so-called Getty Fire, named for the nearby world-famous museum which voluntarily evacuated its facility when the fire broke out, burned 90 acres by Sunday afternoon when it fully contained.

A blaze broke out in the Santa Monica Mountains on Saturday afternoon amid a punishing heat wave that saw temperatures along the coast reach 105 degrees. The 7-acre Rustic Canyon fire was 80 percent contained Sunday afternoon. By that time, temperatures in the area had dropped significantly.

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