Rick Warren requested prayer as brushfire threatened Saddleback Church

Rick Warren, the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California, asked for prayers on Sunday as a brushfire threatened church property.

“Please pray: 2 acres of Saddleback Church have already been consumed by wildfire as of this moment. It’s our main campus (out of 20) in Lake Forest, a few weeks ago, we had a week of wildfires in our backyard, now this,” he posted on X. “So far, no buildings have been in danger. The Lake Forest campus is 120 acres — about half are parking lots.” Bottom of Form

The Orange County Fire Authority and deputies from the sheriff’s department responded promptly, securing the area and managing to contain the fire within about 45 minutes. “A 2-acre fire near Saddleback Church was quickly contained by the OC Fire Authority on Sunday. The two-acre blaze was reported at 1 p.m. and reported under control by 1:35 p.m.,” the city of Lake Forest wrote on X. Officials reported no injuries or structural damage.

Investigators said the fire began when a teenager riding an e-bike in the area might have unintentionally sparked it. Efforts by the teen to extinguish the fire using a fire extinguisher were noted before the arrival of fire services. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, with authorities looking into whether the teenager’s actions directly contributed to the blaze.

Following the rapid containment of the fire, which ultimately affected 2.81 acres, fire crews remained on alert and continued monitoring the area to prevent any rekindling, given the dry weather conditions prevalent at the time.

The fire authority noted the ongoing risk during fire season, urging the public to exercise caution with outdoor activities to avoid similar incidents. After officials determined that the fire was set intentionally, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department acted swiftly to take one person into custody.

–Alan Goforth