IRVINE, Calif .– A wind-driven forest fire is burning in eastern Orange County, threatening homes around the community of Irvine, officials say The blaze, which has started east of Tustin and north of Lake Forest, burned over 4,000 acres without containment as of 1 pm Monday
The Orange County Fire Authority reports 500 firefighters are working on the ground blaze as irregular winds brought helicopters and air support planes to the ground, the Orange County Fire Authority reported
Winds blow at a sustained speed of 20 to 30 miles per hour in the area, with gusts of over 70 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service
Residents adjacent to Orchard Hills should prepare their homes for evacuation in case additional orders are given, OCFA says
Before evacuating, residents should « make sure to close their windows and not have loose or flammable objects in the yard, around their homes, » said a spokesperson for the Orange County Fire Authority
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Public Safety Power Outages Under Consideration In Unincorporated Areas Of Orange County, Says SoCal Edison About 440 Are Without Power In Lake Forest, Portola Hills, Modjeska And Silverado Canyons, And Rancho Santa Margarita is already suffering a loss of power due to the winds and extreme weather conditions as well as the Santiago fire, according to SCE
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Mandatory evacuations, ordered for Orchard Hills, near Irvine Blvd, from Bake Parkway to Jamboree at 9 a.m., remain in effect as of noon Monday
Dry conditions and strong winds are expected until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service
Several schools in Irvine are under compulsory evacuation from 10m, according to the city of Irvine Due to the hybrid calendar in the midst of the coronavirus, middle and high schools are not in session on Monday
« Parents should immediately pick up their children from schools and follow all road signs from Irvine police and the school site, » reports the Irvine Unified School District
For parents unable to navigate safely to the school site, students will be bused to Irvine High School to reunite with their parents and guardians
« Your school will notify you once the school buses leave for Irvine High School, » the district reports. « Check your emails, voicemails and texts for reunification instructions
On the slip roads on the 241 are closed from Highway 91 during this closure Drivers should avoid the area for the foreseeable future
According to Orange County Fire Captain Greg Barta, the fire is rushing south, southwest, through areas of canyons
« We are very concerned about the Orchard Hills area in Irvine, » said Barta Residents of Tustin and Foothill Ranch were urged to « stay vigilant » and « be ready to go » as more communities of this area could be in danger, according to Barta
Everyone in the vicinity, downwind of the fire, must be ready to go if ordered to do so
Orange County Parks closed Irvine State Parks during fire Peters Canyon and Santiago Oaks State Parks are closed due to high winds, as are Aliso, Wood, Laguna Coast, Laguna parks Niguel and Mason
If you haven’t registered with AlertOC, now is the time to do so, he says
“This is the system in which we communicate important emergency information, such as evacuation routes or personal safety instructions”, according to OCFA “We encourage everyone to register their cell phone, its SMS numbers and e-mail addresses on wwwalertOCcom so that we can reach you, whether you are at home or away «
Firefighters were in « structure defense mode » to protect homes and property at 10:45 amm
Smoky skies blanketed Orange County towns south and east of Irvine on Monday morning
A plume of wind-blown smoke and ash covered much of Orange County from the Santiago fire Smoke was visible from the fire centered on Irvine to Tustin, Orange , Rancho Santa Margarita and surrounding towns Residents of Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Laguna Niguel have reported smelling smoke from the fast moving brush fire
According to the National Weather Service, high winds are currently blowing at a sustained speed of 50 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 80 miles per hour This strong wind warning was expected to continue throughout the afternoon , until Tuesday morning
With the winds, the threat of flying embers, which threaten houses and vegetation downwind, to the south and southwest of the event, according to the OCFA
Firefighters from several agencies tackle the growing blaze burning in Irvine An air and ground attack had been in progress throughout the morning since the fire started, but all aircraft were on the ground by 10 a.m. 30m, say officials
Latest air attack vehicle fought its first battle in Orange County with the Santiago fire, OCFA says The ‘very large’ helitanker, supplied to firefighters by SoCal Edison, has been seen collecting water from Lake Irvine at the start of the shooting This heavy lift helicopter can drop up to 1000 gallons on fires
Silverado, Calif., emergency evacuation, Irvine, Orange County Fire Authority
World news – United States – Silverado fire reaches 4,000 acres, 60,000 residents of Irvine evacuated
