Thousands Evacuated In 6,600-Acre Blue Ridge Fire
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — A wind-driven brush fire that broke out on the west end of Corona in Riverside County Monday swelled to 6,600 acres and spread toward Orange and San Bernardino counties, according to fire officials in Orange County.
The Orange County Fire Authority said about 11 p.m. evacuation orders were in effect for residents living in thousands of homes in the following areas:
-- The Hidden Hills community and Yorba Linda, north of the Riverside (91) Freeway, east of Gypsum Canyon;
-- All of Carbon Canyon from the county line to Summit Ranch in Chino,
-- Homes on both the west and east sides of Carbon Canyon Road, including Sleepy Hollow, Oak Tree Downs, Pine Valley Estates, Western Hills and Summit Ranch to the west of Chino, Valley Springs, Carriage Hills and Old Carbon Canyon Road to the east.
The Brea Fire Department also issued evacuation orders for Carbon Canyon area east of Break Hills to the county line, including Olinda Village and Hollydale.
Voluntary evacuations were urged for the Olinda Ranch and Brea Hills areas.
Evacuation orders were also issued Monday night in Chino Hills in San Bernardino County, including Carbon Canyon, Sleepy Hollow and Vellano Country Club Estates, according to the Chino Hills Police Department.
There are no evacuation orders or warnings for Corona, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
The OCFA reported about 11:15 p.m. that the blaze had spread to 6,600 acres and was 0% contained.
One home was damaged in the blaze, but the location and extent of damage was not immediately available.
The fast-moving fire was first reported at 12:55 p.m. adjacent to the Green River Golf Club, just off of Green River Road and the Riverside (91) Freeway, according to the Corona Fire Department.
Multiple engine crews from Corona Fire Department and Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department were initially sent to the location and encountered flames moving rapidly west up a hillside, powered by powerful Santa Ana winds.
The fire pushed into Orange County about 1:20 p.m., approaching Yorba Linda.
Originally named the Green Fire by Riverside County crews, the Orange County Fire Authority and Cal Fire are calling the incident the Blue Ridge Fire. Cal Fire has pinpointed the blaze at Blue Ridge Drive and Big Horn Mountain Way in Yorba Linda.
Just before 2 p.m., the Orange County Sheriff's Department reported that evacuation orders for Yorba Linda were underway north of the 91 freeway, east of Gypsum Canyon, including Bryant Ranch Elementary.
"Anyone in the affected area should evacuate immediately," the sheriff's department said.
Chino Valley Fire Department in San Bernardino County listed several evacuation orders for its jurisdiction, and Chino Hills was also impacted.
Anyone living in the area who has pets or livestock is being urged to evacuate their animals immediately. A temporary evacuation center has been set up at the Chino Hills Community Center, 14250 Peyton Dr., Chino Hills, according to the Chino Hills Police Department.
The Corona Fire Department confirmed there were no evacuations underway in Corona as of 2 p.m.
Find a map that shows evacuation areas here (type in an address on the map to see if that location is under evacuation). As of 7:30 p.m., the Orange County Fire Authority reported 1,170 homes were under an evacuation order and 481 homes under voluntary evacuation.
Some hotels are offering discounted room rates to Orange County residents who are currently being impacted by the wildfires. Click here for more information.
An overhead attack on the blaze was made difficult by the high winds, which grounded aircraft intermittently throughout the day, according to OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire.
The Orange County Fire Authority is serving as the lead agency on the blaze.
The nearby Silverado Fire continues to burn and crews have been critically injured. Check here for updates on that blaze that has burned thousands of acres and forced nearly 100,000 evacuations.
—City News Service contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on the Lake Elsinore-Wildomar Patch
