Silverado Fire Reaches 12.6K Acres, 5% Containment

LAKE FOREST, CA — Approximately 78,000 residents of Modjeska Canyon, Lake Forest and Irvine remain evacuated as firefighters battle to save homes and property amid lessening winds.

The Silverado Fire grew to 12,600 acres, with 5 percent containment as of Tuesday evening, the Orange County Fire Authority reports. No homes have been lost in the fire, which raged through dry brush, pushed by cold Santa Ana winds.

More than 750 firefighters have been deployed to battle the flames, and they're receiving assistance from 14 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy said.
By Tuesday evening, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection would take command of the Silverado and Blue Ridge Fires, Fennessy said.

"We've got very capable incident management team staff here in Orange County and if we had the benefit of managing just one large fire we'd be fine, but when you have to manage two large fires ... quite frankly, the complexity gets beyond our local capacity, so it's great to have the state of California to lean on," Fennessy said.

During Tuesday's firefight, 14 helicopters worked the Silverado Fire, returning to the sky as the winds begin to calm in the area. The air attack on the blaze lends crucial air support for firefighters on the ground, working to build containment lines.

Five firefighters have suffered injury due to the Silverado Fire. Two are critically injured after suffering severe burns Monday while battling the "heel of the fire," according to Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy. They were both hospitalized and remain in critical condition, with severe burns over 50 percent of their bodies, Fennessy said.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to their families and their speedy recovery," Gov. Gavin Newsom said. "It just shows the extraordinary heroism of these fine men and women who literally put their lives on the line."

Fennessy says he time with their families Tuesday.

"I hired both of these firefighters and I know them personally," Fennessy said. "They're extremely strong and having gotten to know their parents over the last 24 hours I can see where they got their strength. It's tough for any firefighter, actually any fire chief, to feel this helpless when you got part of our fire family fighting for their lives. But I'm confident that they're going to do all they can to fight through this. It's just who they are."

Evacuation orders were lifted in some areas Tuesday - (check for the latest evacuation orders in the Irvine area):

• Area 1 – Everything south of Portola Parkway and west of the 133 Toll Road

• Area 2 - 133 East to Portoal High School & Great Park Boulevard north to Irvine Boulevard

All other Irvine evacuation orders remain in place, including:

• All areas north of Portola Parkway

Care and reception areas were open to Irvine residents and pets:

• University High School: 4771 Campus Dr

• Woodbridge High School: 2 Meadowbrook

• Las Lomas Community Center: 10 Federation Way

• University Community Center: 1 Beech Tree Lane

• Quail Hill Community Center: 39 Shady Canyon Dr

• Rancho Senior Center: 3 Ethel Coplen Way

EVACUATIONS, EVACUATION WARNINGS:

NOTE: The latest information on mandatory evacuations, evacuation warnings from the fires burning in Orange County is here, managed by the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

The Silverado Fire erupted early Monday morning in the area of Santiago Canyon and Silverado Canyon Roads, according to officials.

Late Monday night, Southern California Edison reported a probable cause of the blaze to California officials.

A lashing wire may have contacted its overhead primary conductor, sparking the original blaze, they say. Whether that was the cause of the fire remains under investigation as of this report.

Meanwhile, in Yorba Linda, over 15,000 acres have burned in the Blue Ridge Fire and 2,500 are evacuated from their homes. That wildfire sprang up Monday afternoon, causing the evacuations of thousands more Orange County residents as they fled the fire's path.

Read also: Blue Ridge Fire Damages Home, 15.2K Acres Reached, 0% Containment

No injuries have been reported from the Blue Ridge blaze.

There is no word as to the cause of the Yorba Linda fire as of this report.

Patch will update road closures, evacuations and more.

Related Stories:

SoCal Edison Reports Possible Cause Of Silverado Fire

Where To Take Evacuated Pets In Orange County

Blue Ridge Fire Damages Home, 8K Acres Reached, 0% Containment

Hotshot Firefighters Severely Burned Battling Silverado Fire

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

Thousands Evacuated In 6,600-Acre Blue Ridge Fire

This report will be updated. Please refresh for the latest information.

This article originally appeared on the Lake Forest Patch