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18,100-acre Holy fire burns close to Lake Elsinore homes; blaze moves out of Orange County

by in News

Firefighters worked through the night and into Friday morning, wrestling with the fast-charging Holy fire – which swelled to an estimated 18,137 charred acres overnight, up from 10,236 acres the night before.

Fire personnel continued to push back on the flames that tried to reach homes in the Lake Elsinore area.

The glow of the orange flames could be seen Friday morning in the hills above Riverside County neighborhoods.

  • Homeowners use a garden hose to wet down a home as the Holy fire gets close in Lake Elsinore Thursday, August 9, 2018. FRANK BELLINO, For THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG.

  • A DC 10 drops fire retardant to protect a home from the Holy fire near Grand Ave and Plumas St. in Lake Elsinore Thursday, August 9, 2018. FRANK BELLINO, For THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG.

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  • The Holy fire gets close to home in Lake Elsinore Thursday, August 9, 2018. FRANK BELLINO, For THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG.

  • A plane drops fire retardant behind homes along McVicker Canyon Park Road in Lake Elsinore as the Holy fire burned near homes on Wednesday afternoon, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Peter Sloan is packed up and ready to bolt if the fires in Lake Elsinore, Calif. on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Flames from the Holy fire gets close to a home near Grand Ave and Plumas St. in Lake Elsinore Thursday, August 9, 2018. FRANK BELLINO, For THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG.

  • The Holy fire burns in the ...

    The Holy fire burns in the Cleveland National Forest behind homes along Crystal Ridge Court in Lake Elsinore on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 8, 2018. Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG

  • Homeowners use garden hoses protect their homes as the Holy fire gets close in Lake Elsinore Thursday, August 9, 2018. FRANK BELLINO, For THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG.

  • Visibility is low as the Holy fire continues to spread in Lake Elsinore, Calif. on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Firefighters prepare to make a fire break in Lake Elsinore, Calif. above a well-manicured neighborhood on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • A Lake Elsinore, Calif. neighborhood has spot fires gaining momentum as of 2 pm. on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Flames move towards the lake of Lake Elsinore, Calif. as the Holy fire grows Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Firefighters prepare to make a fire break in Lake Elsinore, Calif. above a well-manicured neighborhood on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Visibility is low as the Holy fire continues to spread in Lake Elsinore, Calif. on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Only one person remains on Cascade Cir. at McVicker Canyon Park Dr. in Lake Elsinore. Former firefighter, Josh Kiefer, has his trailer packed to the brim and is ready to roll out if needed on Thursday, August 9, 2018. Spot fires flare up and die. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Kristen Diaz of Lake Elsinore, Calif,. right, refuses to leave her home saying she and her husband have worked too hard to just leave and adds that her children are safe on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Vincent Rivera of Riverside has watered down his brother’s Lake Elsinore, Calif. home for the last two days. Photographed on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • The scene turns monochromatic as fire rages in this Lake Elsinore, Calif. neighborhood along McVicker Canyon Park Dr. near Cascade Circle. The water tower in background turns golden Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Fire burns through Holy Jim Canyon in Trabuco Canyon on Monday, August 7, 2018. (OnScene.TV)

  • The Holy Fire as seen from Ladera Ranch on Monday, August 6, 2018. (Photo Courtesy Richard J Eldridge)

  • The Holy Fire burns in the Trabuco Canyon area on Monday, August6, 2018. (Photo courtesy Patrick Smith)

  • A plane drops fire retardant Holy Fire burns in the Trabuco Canyon area on Monday, August 6, 2018. (Photo courtesy Patrick Smith)

  • Home owner Russ Price is surrounded by smoke, ash, and smoldering homes in Holy Jim Canyon on Tuesday, Aug 7, 2018. He doesn’t know how his structure survived. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A firefighting helicopter kicks up dust from the parched mountain in Holy Jim Canyon on Tuesday, Aug 7, 2018. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A fire crew from San Bernardino arrives back in to Holy Jim Canyon on Tuesday, Aug 7, 2018 after the winds shift. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • People watch firefighting efforts on the Holy Fire in Corona on Tuesday, August 7, 2018. (Photo courtesy Chris Rusanowsky)

  • A Sheriff deputy walks up the road to a home that was spared Monday’s fire in Holy Jim Canyon. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A 747 Global Super Tanker 944 makes a retardant drop along a ridge during the Holy fire burning in the Cleveland National Forest near Corona, Calif. on Tuesday, August 7, 2018. Firefighters are working in rugged terrain amid scorching temperatures that have prompted warnings about excessive heat and extreme fire danger for much of the region. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Holy Jim volunteer firefighter Luke Senger shows a map to John Colclough, of homes that were destroyed in Holy Jim Canyon on Monday, Aug 6, 2018. Colclough has lived in the canyon since the early 70s. “We lost a lot today, man. This is a huge, huge hit,” he said. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • People watch firefighting efforts on the Holy Fire in Corona on Tuesday, August 7, 2018. (Photo courtesy Chris Rusanowsky)

  • Holy Jim volunteer firefighter Luke Senger stands next to a home destroyed by fire on Monday, Aug 6, 2018. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Riverside County Fire Department keeps watch over the night, as the Holy Jim Trailhead fire illuminates the night sky. (Photo courtesy Chris Rusanowsky)

  • Flames from the Holy fire that started in Orange County burn the Cleveland National Forest above Lake Elsinore in Riverside County on Wednesday morning, Aug. 8, 2018. (Screen grab courtesy of ABC 7 television)

  • Having burned over 4000 acres in it’s third day, the Holy fire burns near homes in Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Fire engines stand by as the Holy fire burns near homes in Horsethief Canyon near Corona on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A pedestrian looks at the Holy Jim Fire as it burns in the mountains behind Lake Mission Viejo in Mission Viejo on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • U.S. Forest Service Incident Commander Chris Fogle speaks during a press conference on the progress of the Holy Fire in Cleveland National Forest at the Orange County Fire Authority headquarters in Irvine on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Sheriff’s deputies talk to Forrest Gordon Clark, a 10-year Holy Jim Canyon resident whose home was the only surviving structure in the area where he lives. Neighbors say he acts erratically and threatened firefighters with a sword while they were fighting Monday’s blaze. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Jim Tucker and granddaughter Cinabella Calderon look south from the Horsethief Canyon Ranch neighborhood toward the Holy fire on Wednesday, Aug. 8. (Richard K. De Atley, SCNG)

  • A plane drops fire retardant in the Cleveland National Forest behind homes along Crystal Ridge Court in Lake Elsinore as the Holy fire burned near homes on Wednesday afternoon, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • The Holy fire burns in the Cleveland National Forest behind homes along Crystal Ridge Court in Lake Elsinore on Wednesday afternoon, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Home owner Russ Price is surrounded by smoke, ash, and smoldering homes in Holy Jim Canyon on Tuesday, Aug 7, 2018. He doesn’t know how his structure survived. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • The mid-afternoon sun is nearly blocked out along McVicker Canyon Park Road in Lake Elsinore as the Holy fire burns near homes on Wednesday afternoon, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A plane drops fire retardant in the Cleveland National Forest behind homes along Crystal Ridge Court in Lake Elsinore as the Holy fire burned near homes on Wednesday afternoon, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Having burned over 4000 acres in it’s third day, the Holy fire burns near homes in Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Residents look at the Holy Jim Fire from the shore of Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Residents watch the Holy fire line above Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, Aug. 8. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Residents watch the Holy fire above Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, Aug. 8. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Holy Jim volunteer Fire Chief Mike Milligan is keeping an eye on the fire that is still burning.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Smoke and ash fill Holy Jim Canyon after Monday’s fire. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Jessica Cooper, de 44 años, e Israel Chavez, de 26, ambos de Wildomar, ven cómo el Holy Jim Fire arde sobre el lago Elsinore el miércoles 8 de agosto de 2018. (Foto de Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register / SCNG)

  • Lake Elsinore Mayor Natasha Johnson, left, looks at a video with Nicole Dailey, assistant to the mayor, as the Holy fire burns near homes behind them in Lake Elsinore on Wednesday afternoon, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Flames burn behind homes as the Holy Jim Fire burns above Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • The Holy fire burns near homes in Horsethief Canyon near Corona on Wednesday, Aug. 8. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Lake Elsinore Mayor Natasha Johnson, left, looks at the Holy fire as it burns near homes in Lake Elsinore as Nicole Dailey, assistant to the mayor, shoots video of the scene on Wednesday afternoon, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Sheriff’s deputies talk to Forrest Gordon Clark, a longtime Holy Jim Canyon resident, before his arrest this week. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • OCFA Battalion Chief Shane Sherwood speaks during a press conference on the progress of the Holy fire in Cleveland National Forest at the Orange County Fire Authority headquarters in Irvine on Wednesday, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A man sits on his roof and watches the approaching fire along McVicker Canyon Park Road in Lake Elsinore as the Holy fire burned near homes Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 8. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Residents on Spectra Drive in Lake Elsinore pack their belongings as they are evacuated as the Holy fire burned near homes on Wednesday afternoon, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A firefighter stops to talk with residents on Spectra Drive in Lake Elsinore shortly before the neighborhood was evacuated as the Holy fire burned near homes on Wednesday afternoon, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A plane drops fire retardant in the Cleveland National Forest behind homes along Crystal Ridge Court in Lake Elsinore as the Holy fire burned near homes on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 8. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Residents watch the Holy fire line above Lake Elsinore on Wednesday, Aug. 8. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Bobby Cruz washes fire retardant off his car after a plane made a drop behind his home on Crystal Ridge Court in Lake Elsinore as the Holy fire burned near homes Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 8. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Dalton Hot Shot fireman Joseph Darling is covered in dirt and soot after spending 16 hours on the mountainside removing flammable debris in Holy Jim Canyon on Wednesday, Aug 8. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Residents along Crystal Ridge Court in Lake Elsinore load a truck as they evacuate as the Holy fire burns near their home on Wednesday afternoon, August 8, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Riverside’s Cal Fire relax at McVicker Park before battling Holy fire in Lake Elsinore, Calif. on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Josh Kiefer is the lone person on his block of Cascade Circle at McVicker Canyon Park Dr. on Day 4 of Holy fire. Small spot fires erupt behind homes along near Cascade Circle in Lake Elsinore on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • A Lake Elsinore, Calif. neighborhood has spot fires on the adjacent hillside on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Firefighters take a break near McVicker Canyon Park Dr. in Lake Elsinore on Thursday, August 9, 2018. Spot fires flare up along a nearby hill. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Joe Rodriguez power washes fire retardant at his Lake Elsinore, Calif. home. Spot fires erupt along hill, but he’s hopeful that his home will be spared on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • New and used fire hoses are staked next to a destroyed cabin along Trabuco Creek Road after the Holy Fire moved through the area in Trabuco Canyon, CA, on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Ash and burnt trees sit near cabins along Trabuco Creek Road after the Holy Fire moved through the area in Trabuco Canyon, CA, on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A destroyed cabin along Trabuco Creek Road after the Holy Fire moved through the area in Trabuco Canyon, CA, on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A destroyed cabin along Trabuco Creek Road after the Holy Fire moved through the area in Trabuco Canyon, CA, on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A destroyed cabin along Trabuco Creek Road after the Holy Fire moved through the area in Trabuco Canyon, CA, on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A destroyed cabin along Trabuco Creek Road after the Holy Fire moved through the area in Trabuco Canyon, CA, on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A destroyed cabin along Trabuco Creek Road after the Holy Fire moved through the area in Trabuco Canyon, CA, on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A destroyed cabin along Trabuco Creek Road after the Holy Fire moved through the area in Trabuco Canyon, CA, on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A destroyed cabin along Trabuco Creek Road after the Holy Fire moved through the area in Trabuco Canyon, CA, on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A destroyed cabin along Trabuco Creek Road after the Holy Fire moved through the area in Trabuco Canyon, CA, on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Lake Elsinore residents Fred Clements, from left, Jimmy Parker, Clement’s wife Dina and Olga Butseja wait to return home after the police told them to evacuate. They said firefighters told them it was ok to stay. Holy fire spreads in Lake Elsinore, Calif. on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Not only does it smell like a barbecue, you feel like you’re the one being barbecued as flames spread in this Lake Elsinore, Calif. at Crystal Ridge off Spectra Dr. on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Los incendios se desatan en un vecindario de Lake Elsinore, California, a lo largo de McVicker Canyon Park Dr., cerca de Cascade Circle. El área está rodeada por colinas el jueves 9 de agosto de 2018. (Foto de Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise / SCNG)

  • Firefighters prepare to make a fire break in Lake Elsinore, Calif. above a well-manicured neighborhood on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Visibility is low as the Holy fire continues to spread in Lake Elsinore, Calif. on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Visibility is low as the Holy fire continues to spread in Lake Elsinore, Calif. on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

  • Flames move towards the lake of Lake Elsinore, Calif. as the Holy fire grows Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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“We continue to actively engage, but cannot get ahead of the fire,” Cleveland National Forest officials tweeted out just before 7 a.m. Friday.

Firefighters planned to focus on the McVickers neighborhood, where the fire was especially aggressive Thursday.

MORE: This map shows where the Holy fire is burning, forcing evacuations and closures

Also Thursday, Gov. Brown declared a state of emergency in Riverside and Orange counties, a proclamation that will allow them to receive disaster assistance from the state. The order also waives fees for replacing vehicle records such as licenses and registrations destroyed by fire, and it eliminates the one-week waiting period for applying for unemployment benefits for those who have lost their job because of the fire.

The blaze, which officials say was ignited Monday by an arsonist in Holy Jim, remains at 5 percent containment. Containment is the percentage of the fire’s perimeter that firefighters have determined the blaze will no long spread beyond.

Cleveland National Forest officials say the Holy fire has left Orange County.

The Holy fire has burned at least 12 structures, most if not all in the forested communities of Holy Jim and Trabuco canyons in Orange County.

But there were reports some homes in the Lake Elsinore area may have been damaged on Thursday.

Thunderstorms outside of the Holy fire area created winds that whipped up the flames on Thursday, according to fire officials.

Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders for the Lake Elsinore-area communities of:

  • McVickers Canyon
  • Rice Canyon
  • Horsethief Canyon
  • Glen Eden
  • El Cariso Village
  • Sycamore Creek
  • Rancho Capistrano
  • The Ortega Highway corridor from the Grand Avenue in Riverside County to Nichols Institute in Orange County

All of the schools in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District, the Perris Elementary School District, the Perris Union High School District, the Menifee Union School District, and the Romoland School District, as well as Santa Rosa Academy were closed Thursday.

The Menifee district said its schools would be closed Friday as well. All Menifee elementary school back-to-school nights have been rescheduled to Aug. 23.