SILVERADO, Calif. — Powerful winds have pushed flames through Southern California canyons as an out-of-control wildfire burned near homes and forced residents to flee.
The blaze in Orange County’s Silverado Canyon, outside of Irvine, began late Wednesday as a house fire that quickly spread to tinder-dry brush. It exploded in size early Thursday, reaching 3,650 acres burned as of 8 a.m. Firefighters are struggling in steep terrain amid unpredictable Santa Ana winds that have raised fire danger for much of the region.
As the Santa Ana winds whipped the area, Southern California utilities cut power to tens of thousands of customers to avoid the threat of wildfires. Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric began turning off the juice Wednesday night and could cut power to 380,000 more homes and businesses.
Red flag warnings of extreme fire danger are in place throughout much of the region because of low humidity, bone-dry brush and the winds, which can knock down or foul power lines. Evacuations are in effect in the Silverado canyon area.
Evacuation Centers:
- Santiago Canyon College at 8405 E. Chapman Ave. in Orange. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials cannot establish an evacuation shelter, but they are providing people with vouchers to stay in hotels.
- The Orange County Emergency Operations Center has created a hotline for residents: (714) 628-7085.
- Small pets can be taken to the Orange County Animal Care’s Tustin facility at 1630 Victory Rd
MAPS
This map shows where the fire is located, including some hotspots detected via satellite.
This map shows evacuation orders and warnings in the area.
Road Closures
As of Wednesday morning, Santiago Canyon Road is closed from Jackson Ranch Road to the 241 Freeway.
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