Orange County fires:
100,000 evacuate, firefighters severely burned as out- of- control blazes near towns.
SANTA ANA — Orange County remained on high alert Tuesday as a pair of winddriven wildfires continued their race toward populated areas, forcing nearly 100,000 residents to evacuate and choking much of the region with smoke.
The larger of the blazes, the Silverado Fire, broke out shortly after 6: 45 a. m. local time Monday in the brush country around Santiago Canyon and Silverado Canyon roads. It has burned more than 11,199 acres, pushed west by Santa Ana winds to the suburban edge of Irvine and Lake Forest. By Tuesday morning, more than 90,000 people were under evacuation orders in the foothills, and the fire was 5% contained.
The cause of the blaze, which is burning on hilly terrain in state lands, is not clear. But in a report to the state Public Utilities Commission, Southern California Edison said it was investigating whether its electrical equipment may have caused the fire.
The brief report said it appeared that a “lashing wire” may have struck a primary conductor, and an investigation was under way.
At least two firefighters working on hand crews were severely burned as they battled the flames, according to Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy.
The firefighters, ages 26 and 31, were placed on ventilators after suffering secondand thirddegree burns over half their bodies, Fennessy said.
“This is tough for me, tough for all my firefighters and certainly for the families of my two injured firefighters,” Fennessy said during a news conference outside the Orange County Global Medical Center, where the firefighters were being treated.
The Blue Ridge Fire erupted later Monday in Santa Ana Canyon — a notorious wind tunnel said to have given the blustery Santa Anas their name.
The flames spread quickly as the fire pushed west toward
Yorba Linda, threatening the town’s Hidden Hills community. By Tuesday morning, the blaze had engulfed 8,000 acres and was 0% contained. At least one home had been damaged. Evacuations were ordered Tuesday morning at Diamond Bar Golf Course on Golden Springs Drive.
Monday’s combination of intense winds and low humidity were considered some of the most dangerous fire weather conditions of the year. The weather service reported gusts of 96 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains just south of Santa Clarita.
The winds also carried ash and soot left from the Bobcat Fire earlier this month back into the skies, further choking Southern California with bad air.
In all, 700 fire personnel were battling the Silverado Fire, and 200 were on scene at the Blue Ridge Fire, officials said.