Bond Fire: 6,400 Acres Burn, 10% Containment, 25K Evacuate

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA —A fast-moving brush fire ignited overnight, exploding to 6,400 acres with 10 percent containment as 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Orange County Fire Authority reported. Some evacuation orders were lifted in Lake Forest at the end of the day, those North of Alton Parkway and East of the 241 were allowed to return home.

Throughout the day, over 25,000 residents were forced to evacuate due to the blaze that began with a house fire in Silverado Canyon. CalTrans reports that all roads have reopened to traffic except for Santiago Canyon Road.

The Bond Fire is the #1 priority fire in the state of California, according to OCFA Chief Brian Fennessy in an afternoon news conference. Resources from across the Southland began arriving to assist "right away" when the blaze broke out.

An unknown number of homes have been damaged or destroyed in the blaze. Patch will update as soon as that information is released. Two US Forest Service firefighters were injured as a result of the blaze, their conditions not released, and were taken to a nearby hospital. It is not yet known if they were admitted for care.

Numerous communities remain under mandatory evacuation, however according to OCFA Chief Brian Fennessy, if you have a concern, get ready, set or even go before you are told. He added, "if there is any doubt, please don't wait, evacuate."

All day Thursday, residents have watched air tankers and helicopters drop water and flame retardant over the blaze. They have joined the fire fight, and drop water harvested from the Irvine Reservoir.

The OCFA has aircraft flying at 15,000 feet currently monitoring the blaze are answering the question, "how big is that fire, and where is that fire going?" Fennessy said. SoCal Edison's Very Large Helitanker has dropped over 90,000 gallons on the Bond Fire since last night, he says. That tanker, and others, gather water from nearby Irvine Reservoir to make that large number of drops possible.

The helitanker was grounded due to high winds in the early morning hours, but resumed their work attacking the forward progress of the blaze as of 7 a.m., according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Greg Barta.

Meanwhile, 500 firefighters from 30 agencies are battling from the air and ground as they evacuate residents out of harm's way.

Mutual aid is firmly in place, with firefighters arriving to lend their engines, hotshot crews and support from across the southland.

"This mutual aid system is the most robust firefighting system in the world," says Fennessy.

Orange County Sheriff's Department deputies have assisted in evacuations notifications throughout late Wednesday and Thursday, and are "tactical staffing," Sheriff Don Barnes said. All days off are canceled as resources prepare for the days ahead.

Currently, the communities of Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills are among the most at risk, however the eastern section of the City of Orange has also been put on evacuation alert.

"Prepare everything you need to go on a moment's notice," Barnes said.

Mandatory evacuations are in place for residents immediately impacted by the Bond Fire. As of noon, evacuations included:

Black Star Canyon, Baker Canyon, Silverado Canyon, Williams Canyon, Foothill Ranch East and Foothill Ranch North, and Portola Hills, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department as of 1 p.m. Thursday.

Evacuations were also recommended for Cowan Heights, Lemon Heights, Live Oak Canyon, Trabuco Canyon, Rose Canyon, Holy Jim Canyon, and Baker Ranch.

For the most up to date evacuation information visit: For evacuation information visit ocsheriff.gov/BondFire

"Residents in those areas are strongly encouraged to seek safety with family or friends, or in a hotel," Barta says.

Road Closures:

SANTIAGO CANYON CLOSED FROM 241 TO JACKSON RANCH RD

Evacuation Centers:

The Red Cross and the City of Lake Forest have opened temporary evacuation points for residents, where information and restrooms are available.

El Toro High School: 25255 Toledo Way, Lake Forest.

El Modena High School: 3920 E. Spring Street, in the city of Orange.

The Red Cross has closed their temporary evacuation point at Santiago Community College has closed their temporary evacuation point.

Visit Anaheim has shared a list of hotels offering Bond Wildfire evacuees safe harbor and discounts.

School Closures:

Some schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District closed Thursday due to the Bond Fire.

"No hybrid or distance learning for Foothill Ranch Elementary, Portola Hills Elementary and Trabuco Elementary Schools," a school district official reported.

Saddleback USD schools conducting full distance learning Thursday include:

• Del Lago Elementary
• El Toro High School
• Gates Elementary
• Glen Yermo Elementary
• La Madera Elementary
• Lake Forest Elementary
• Melinda Heights Elementary
• Olivewood Elementary
• Rancho Canada Elementary
• Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary
• Serrano Intermediate
• Trabuco Hills High School

The Irvine Unified School District will move to remote learning for Thursday, due to poor air quality, they say. Though there is no current danger due to fire, all in-person students should attend distance learning for the day, as schools cannot run HVAC ventilation systems needed in the times of coronavirus.

"IVA schedules remain the same unless you hear otherwise from IVA staff," the district reports.

The Orange County Emergency Operations Center has activated its hotline for residents: 714-628-7085.

Pet / Large Animal Evacuations (updated as of 2 p.m.):

Small household pets are being accepted at the Orange County Animal Care's Tustin Facility- 1630 Victory Road, Tustin. Pet owners can call (714) 935-6848 for more information.

"The OC Animal Care shelter is currently accepting dogs, cats, and small pets evacuated due to the Bond Fire," a spokeswoman for OC Animal Care tells Patch. "If possible, please bring photo identification, veterinary/vaccination records, special food, and medications along with your animals. For pick-up, animals owners should bring identification."

Large animal owners under mandatory evacuation should route their animals toward the OC Fair Grounds and Event Center in Costa Mesa, Novillo says. The daily care as well as feed, medications and other necessary supplies will be the responsibility of the animal owner.

Large animal owners should call (714) 708-1588 to ensure they can accommodate their animals.

The OC Fair and Events Center is located at 88 Fair Drive Costa Mesa, CA 92626. For large animal sheltering, enter at Gate 5 off Arlington Drive.

The Anaheim Equestrian Center is accepting horses and smaller livestock at 1370 S. Sanderson Avenue in the city of Anaheim. Call 714-708-1588 for more information.

Los Alamitos Racetrack is no longer accepting large animals, according to OC Animal Care.

Road closures are still being reported and will be updated.

How the Bond Fire Began:

Orange County Fire Authority firefighters responded to a house fire on the 29400 block of Silverado Canyon Drive late Wednesday night.

Flames from the structure spread into nearby brush due to excessive winds and tinder-dry vegetation. At the urging of the sheriff and fire department, residents of the sparsely populated Modjeska and Santiago Canyons fled the growing blaze. Orange County Fire Authority is investigating whether "multiple structures" were damaged from the fire.

With the howling Santa Ana winds, the Bond Fire began in a "perfect storm," Barta reported early Thursday. "We have critically low humidity, fire on the ground, it makes it very difficult for us. The fire is fast-moving."

The wind-driven blaze swept to the southwest, exploding in size, according to OCFA officials.

The city of Irvine—hit hard by October's Silverado Fire—is not currently impacted, other than extremely poor air quality, according to city officials.

Orange County Parks have closed numerous locations due to Santa Ana Winds, poor air quality, and fire threat.

Read: Park Closures Across Orange County, Due To Bond Fire, Smoke & Ash

Wind gusts hit an upwards of 40 miles per hour in the area early Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. The Santa Ana wind event is expected to last into Friday, with critical fire weather into Saturday. Another Santa Ana wind event could begin as early as Monday, according to officials.

For the latest in evacuations, road closures in your area, register for AlertOC and follow OCFA for the latest information.

EVACUEES of #BondFire. You’re
strongly encouraged to seek safety with family/friends or in a hotel.
Due to COVID-19, no congregate shelter is offered. A temporary OC Red Cross evacuation point is at 8405 E. Chapman Ave, Orange. Info and restrooms available. pic.twitter.com/O6fiRmmYPX
— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) December 3, 2020

Inland Orange County remains under a red-flag warning until 10 p.m. Saturday due to winds and low humidity.

This report will be updated as more information is released.

FIRIS predictive modeling over satellite imagery shows the potential growth and direction of #BondFire. Model was created without fire suppression efforts. Those under mandatory evacuation orders, are urged to leave. Fire has been moving in SW direction. pic.twitter.com/BxEnUqWL9R
— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) December 3, 2020