Silverado Fire: Days Of Evacuation End For Lake Forest Families

LAKE FOREST, CA — Days after tens of thousands of Orange County residents fled the growing Silverado Wildfire, all learned midday Thursday they could safely return home.

Evacuation orders were lifted at 11 a.m. for the last remaining residents of Lake Forest, Foothill Ranch and other communities, and many made the slow trek home. The blaze ate up over 13,000 acres and still burns in the mountains. However, all homes threatened during the Silverado Fire still stand.

"There are still crews working in the area," said a spokesperson for Orange County Fire Authority. It will take until Nov. 10 before firefighters fully contain the danger, officials say.

Meanwhile, the winds and humidity have returned, and officials say there is no cause for immediate concern.

For those who evacuated, this has been a surreal week.

The Silverado Fire began in the early hours of Monday amid howling Santa Ana winds, shrouding much of Orange County in smoke and ash.

Thousands fled the suburban communities of Lake Forest and Irvine at the police's direction as the fire grew. Meanwhile, residents in "evacuation warning zones" such as Lake Forest watched, getting ready should the order come for their street.

The Silverado wildfire ate up hillsides just on the other side of the backyard fences of suburban homes. Images of the charming hillside community turned apocalyptic overnight; and for residents, unknowns about the wind and the encroaching fire were a significant cause for concern.

Kim Baccellia, a Lake Forest homeowner, spent her time during the evacuation warning packing up valuables and irreplaceable items into the family truck. Word came late Monday that it was time to go. She and her husband, along with the family cockatiel, joined tens of thousands seeking refuge.

They headed to the parking area of El Toro High School to determine what to do next, Baccellia told Patch. Not only did she need to find somewhere to go, she knew they needed to account for bringing along her pet bird. Many hotels were not accepting pets, she says.

"Remember, there were 90,000 people all looking for somewhere to go," she says.

During the adrenaline rush of evacuation, there was no time to stop and think, grab the computer or make cell phone calls, Baccellia said. Once safely parked at the high school lot, she had time to scour around for a hotel room somewhere nearby. After multiple calls and no luck, she and her husband started to feel like Mary and Joseph, she says. "There was no room at any inn."

Hotel rooms across Orange County filled up quickly. Hoteliers with Visit Anaheim joined together and launched a campaign to offer rooms for evacuees at a discount. The Baccellia family at last found a safe harbor in Costa Mesa.

But the coronavirus pandemic compounded concerns during evacuation.

Though everyone she encountered wore a mask, there was no food or room service, Baccellia said. All of the hotel restaurants were closed.

Would they be gone one night? Three? There was no knowing how long the evacuation would last, she said.

Baccellia's husband drove close to their home to get the lay of the land and saw many hillsides scorched and black, but the skies were blue. Miraculously, the hills in their neighborhood were undamaged.

With that comfort, there remained a low-key worry that the wildfire could spring back up again. The community is still on alert, but residents are cautiously optimistic.

On the streets near their home, Orange County sheriff's deputies directed traffic. Some roads are still closed as residents make their way back home. Others cannot bring their cars behind the barricades.

Baccellia is lucky, as they had food from a recent shopping trip and a full pantry waiting when they returned. While so many try to get home, there is traffic and frustration. In some homes, fire retardant painted homes, yards, pools, and cars pink.

The Orange County Fire Authority did their best to share advice on how to re-enter your home after evacuating.

For now, the Baccellia family will watch and wait from home, grateful to be back and for the roof over their heads.

With the cooperation of so many who left, allowing firefighters to do their work, no homes were damaged or destroyed in the Silverado Fire.

This article originally appeared on the Lake Forest Patch