Silverado Fire: Firefighters Hospitalized, Over 7,200 Acres Burn

LAKE FOREST, CA — A wind-driven wildfire erupted in eastern Orange County Monday morning, threatening thousands of homes in several inland communities around Orchard Hills, officials said. The fire had scorched 7,200 acres by Monday afternoon, forcing over 90,000 residents of Irvine and Lake Forest to evacuate, according to officials. Mission Viejo residents remained on alert as of 9 p.m.

The fire, which erupted east of Tustin and north of Lake Forest before 7 a.m. Monday morning, had zero containment as of 9 p.m. Monday.

Though evacuations were expected to last until Tuesday, no structures have been destroyed as a result of the blaze, officials said. Meanwhile, the department grieved two Orange County hotshot firefighters in critical condition at an area hospital Monday night.

The members of the Santiago Hand Crew, of the Orange County Fire Authority suffered critical burns while battling the fast-moving blaze, according to Chief Brian Fennessy. They were rushed to Orange County Global Medical Center around noon, officials say. Both remain on ventilators, in critical condition with severe burns over 50 percent of each of their bodies, in the company of their families.

"I know them personally," Fennessy said. "They're gravely injured. Their families are with them. I was with them when their families arrived. Obviously, it's very emotional. We're giving them all the support we can."

Those men, members of the Orange County Fire Authority Santiago Hand Crew, were engaged in heavy firefight at the "heel of the fire" when they were overwhelmed by flames, Fennessy said.

That team regularly lends mutual aid during fire events, such as in August, when the team worked the Apple Fire, and rescued wayward dog in the process.

Meanwhile, over 500 firefighting crews continue to attack the fire from the ground.

All air support was grounded due to gusting Santa Ana winds as of midday. It was not known when aircraft would be able to rejoin the battle against the blaze. Windspeeds were expected to decrease but would not cease until sometime Tuesday afternoon.

Residents of the Irvine community of Orchard Hill had mere moments to gather belongings, pets, and important papers and get out to safety to allow firefighters to do their work. Officials ordered the evacuation of over 70,000 Irvine residents as of Monday afternoon. Residents of Foothill Ranch have also been evacuated, and 5,000 more are on alert.

By late Monday afternoon Visit Anaheim put out a call to area hotels and created a website showing hotels offering room discounts for those displaced by the Silverado fire, with nowhere to go. More than 15 hotels volunteered to lend assistance to the community.

No homes have been destroyed, as of this report, which Chief Fennessy says was largely due to "brush clearance in the city of Irvine and the rapid, orderly evacuation of residents."

Those who live adjacent to Orchard Hills should prepare their homes for evacuation in case additional orders are given, according to OCFA.

Before you evacuate, residents should "make sure they close their windows, and have no loose items or flammable items in the yard, around your homes," a spokesperson for Orange County Fire Authority says.

Meanwhile, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California has secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the Silverado Fire burning in Orange County.

Evacuation Orders:

Emergency information ONLY call: 714-573-6210

Mandatory evacuations, ordered for Orchard Hills, off Irvine Boulevard from Bake Parkway to Jamboree at 9 a.m., remain in effect as of Monday afternoon. Those evacuation orders were expanded to include Baker Ranch and Foothill Ranch.

See the latest Irvine evacuation orders, here.

See the latest Lake Forest area evacuation orders, here.

A care and reception center is being set up at El Toro High School. See www.lakeforestca.gov/silverado... for updates and to confirm your address/zone.

Other Evacuation Care Centers:

Irvine evacuation centers opened but filled rapidly:

• University Community Center, 1 Beech Tree Lane;
• Quail Hill Community Center, 39 Shady Canyon Drive
• Los Olivos Community Center, 101 Alfonso Drive
• Harvard Community Center, 14701 Harvard
• Rancho Senior Center, 3 Ethel Coplen Way
• Las Lomas Community Center, 10 Federation Way
• Turtle Rock Community Center, 1 Sunnyhill.

By late morning, many of the centers were filled, and another shelter was established at Village Church of Irvine, 77 Post.

School Closures:

The majority of schools in Irvine and the Tustin Unified School Districts and surrounding communities announced they would be closed, Tuesday, due to the number of residents who are displaced.

For the most recent school and evacuation information visit the City of Irvine's website.

Road Closures:

133 Toll Road

• I-5 connector to NB 133
• NB 133 between I-5 and 241
• NB 133 connector to NB 241
• SB 133 between the 241 and I-5

241 Toll Road

• NB 241 from Oso Pkwy to SR 91
• SB 241 between SR 91 and Lake Forest Dr 261 Toll Road
• NB 261 between Portola and 241/Santiago Canyon Rd
• SB 261 between 241/Santiago Canyon Rd and Portola Pkwy

On ramps onto the 241 are shut down from the 91 Freeway during this closure. Drivers should avoid the area for the foreseeable future.

Power Outages:
Public Safety Power Outages are being considered in the unincorporated areas of Orange County, according to SoCal Edison. Roughly 440 are without power in the area of Lake Forest, Portola Hills, Modjeska and Silverado Canyons, and Rancho Santa Margarita are already experiencing a loss of power due to the extreme wind and weather conditions as well as the Silverado Fire, SCE says.

For up to the minute Public Safety Power Outage information visit: www.sce.com/wildfire.

A cold Santa Ana wind created a perfect storm of conditions for the fast-moving Silverado Fire. Overnight, humidity plummeted as strong, gusty desert breezes sailed through the region. The dry conditions and strong winds are expected until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

According to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Greg Barta, the blaze is rushing to the south, southwest, through canyon areas.

On Monday morning, Barta was "very concerned about the Orchard Hills area of Irvine," he said.

Residents of Tustin and Foothill Ranch were urged to "stay vigilant" and "be ready to go" as more communities in that area could be in jeopardy, according to Barta.

With no sign of slowing, all in the surrounding areas downwind from the fire should be prepared to leave if ordered to do so.

During the wind event, with high fire danger, Orange County Parks have closed Irvine Regional Parks during the fire. Peters Canyon and Santiago Oaks Regional Parks are closed due to high winds, as are Aliso, Wood, Laguna Coast, Laguna Niguel and Mason Parks.

AlertOC Emergency Notification:

If you have not registered with AlertOC, now is the time to do so, he says.

"This is the system were we communicate important emergency information, such as evacuation routes or life safety instruction," according to OCFA. "We encourage everyone to register their cell phone, text numbers, and email addresses at www.alertOC.com so we can reach you no matter if you are home or away."

Irvine residents successfully received their immediate evacuation notices through the AlertOC system, Patch was told.

Firefighters were in "structure defense mode," to protect homes and property as of 10:45 a.m.

Miles of Smoke Across Orange County

Smokey skies blanked the Orange County cities to the south and east of Irvine, Monday morning.

A plume of wind-driven smoke and ash covered much of Orange County from the Santiago Fire. Smoke was visible from the Irvine-centered fire to Tustin, Orange, Rancho Santa Margarita, and surrounding cities. Residents of Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Laguna Niguel have reported smelling smoke from the fast-moving brush fire.

With winds come the threat of flying embers, which threaten homes and vegetation downwind, to the south and southwest of the event, according to OCFA.

The newest air attack vehicle did its first battle in Orange County with the Silverado Fire, OCFA says. The "very large" helitanker, provided for firefighters by SoCal Edison, was seen gathering water from Lake Irvine early in the firefight. That heavy-lift helicopter can drop as much as 1,000 gallons onto fires.

As of this report, there was no word as to the cause of the blaze.

Read also:

Hotshot Firefighters Severely Burned Battling Silverado Fire

Fire in Fullerton Leads To Evacuations, Red Flag Warning For OC

Green Fire Erupts In Corona, Threatening Yorba Linda Homes

This is a developing report. Please refresh for the latest information.