1,500-Acre Brush Fire Continues To Burn In Silverado Canyon
SILVERADO CANYON (CBSLA.com) — A brush fire that forced dozens to leave their homes continued to burn Saturday morning in Orange County.
PHOTO GALLERY: Brush Fire Burns In Silverado Canyon
The fire was reported around 10:30 a.m. on Friday in the 30000 block of Silverado Canyon Road and was burning through rugged terrain.
At least 1,500-acres have been charred. The fire was 10 percent contained, officials said.
CBS2's Greg Mills reported on Saturday evening that more than 1,000 firefighters were actively battling the blaze.
He also reported that firefighters by Saturday evening were starting to get the upper hand. Late Saturday, officials told KCAL9 they were "very confident" they would have a line around the fire sometime Saturday.
Battalion Chief Mike Petro of the Orange County Fire Authority said that both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft will be assigned to the firefight, and expects to double the personnel assigned to the incident.
Temperatures in the mid to high 90s are expected to continue but Petro said the winds aren't of particular concern.
"They should be the normal, onshore flow with up-slope, up canyon winds in the mid-day," he said.
Crews expected to have an update on the acreage of the fire as well as the containment at first light, according to Petro.
At 6 p.m. Friday, mandatory evacuations were issued for residents in the east end of the 30500 block of Silverado Canyon Road. An evacuation center was established at El Modena High School by the American Red Cross.
Mills said ten helicopters and two tankers were aiding in the firefight.
A DC-10 had also made two drops Saturday.
More than 200 residents were ordered to leave the area but Mills said many of them stayed.
He spoke to homeowner Michael Schooley who stayed and lost power(one of about 400 customers) calling his evening a miserable one.
Three firefighters were hospitalized, two with heat-related injuries and one with an injured back. All were treated and released.
RELATED STORY:
Mandatory Evacuations Ordered In 1,600-Acre Brush Fire Burning In Silverado Canyon
