Mandatory Evacuation Orders Issued For Silverado, Williams And Modjeska Canyons In Orange County As Storm Approaches

SILVERADO CANYON (CBSLA) - As some Orange County residents are still cleaning up from the last two winter rainstorms, officials issued a mandatory evacuation order that goes into effect at 8 p.m. for those living in Silverado, Williams and Modjeska Canyons, along the Bond Fire burn scar area.

The same areas had been under a voluntary order since Wednesday morning, with officials concerned about mud and debris flows.

"We used to have a trail, but it kind of washed away," said Shannon Reynolds, who is racing against the weather, trying to protect his friend's Silverado Canyon home by laying bulky hay bales up the hillside.

Ambrose Jimenez knows all too well what heavy ran can do to his property. The storm before Christmas sent a river of mud and rocks onto his back deck, three feet high in some spots.

The back breaking work that Reynolds and Jimenez are busy with could be a lifesaver as the next storm rolls in.

"Our strategy is to put these hay bales up on the hill before everything comes down and starts raining," Reynolds said. "Once it starts raining, we won't be able to get up here."

The last storm did major damage just two houses away on Silverado Canyon Road. A few feet of mud still covers the first floor of that home, which has been red-tagged.

Behind the Silverado Cafe along Grundy Lane, a tractor scooped up mud covering the narrow road, which leads to several homes. It's the same area where the Orange County Fire Authority made rescues in mid-December.

The Bond Fire started in this neighborhood in 2020. Mud flowed through properties, which limited access and trapped people.

"I know especially after the fires and everything, we get all the vegetation and everything cleared out. It starts raining and then we get the mudslides and everything," said Brian Link, a realtor with Pacific Shores Estates.

There's been no word yet on when the mandatory evacuation orders will be lifted.