Evacuation Warnings Lifted In Bond Fire Burn Area
SILVERADO (CBSLA) — People waking up in Orange County Thursday morning were relieved to not see heavy rain in the Bond Fire burn area near Silverado.
However, early in the morning mud was covering roads throughout the area causing residents to wonder how much more mud could flow from the hillsides as the rain continues.
A series of storms have moved through the area over the past few weeks, causing concern for mudflow from the hillsides made vulnerable by the Bond Fire.
Orange County officials originally issued a mandatory evacuation order that took effect at 8 p.m. Wednesday for residents in the Silverado, Williams and Modjeska canyons in the Bond Fire burn area due to potential debris flows.
By Thursday morning at 10 a.m., the evacuation order was downgraded to a voluntary evacuation warning. By 1 p.m., all evacuation orders were lifted for the area.
Road closures were also be lifted for all roadways in the Canyons at 1 p.m.
Soft road closures had been in place at canyon entrances beginning at 10 a.m.
The National Weather Service declared a flash flood warning in the Bond Fire burn area from Dec. 29, 10 a.m. to Dec. 30, 4 p.m.
An Evacuation Warning was put into effect at 10 a.m. in anticipation of the rain event. Canyon residents were strongly encouraged to evacuate prior to 8 p.m.
Hard road closures will be in effect at 8 p.m. and access in and out of the canyon will be restricted to public safety and public works vehicles.
This marks the third evacuation order this month for the residents in the area. Officials recommend all residents prepare and evacuate before the order goes into effect.
Some homes in the area were either red or yellow tagged. Some homeowners were taking precautions on their own by putting up sandbags and creating funnel systems to try to divert water or mud that may flow down.
"Since the first storm a week and a half ago, that was pretty hard at the time but now we're just used to it," said Silverado Canyon resident Daniel Walters.
