Monday morning started off with disaster as a wind-driven brush fire swept across 2000 acres n Orange County, California. Residents were forced to evacuate and so far over 60,000 have left their homes in what has been forecast as the most dangerous fire weather this year.
Just after 6.45 a.m. the Silverado fire broke out near Santiago Canyon and Silverado Canyon roads. It initially spread across 10 acres but by 10 a.m. it swelled across 2000 acres. Approximately 60,000 residents of Irvine, were evacuated through a mandatory evacuation order. Evacuation centers have been set up in Irvine at the Quail Hill Community Center and the University Community Center.
As of now, there’s no information about how the fire started. Southern California has been hit by fierce and dry Santa Ana winds that spread fires rapidly, making them difficult to contain. “We have very strong winds and very low humidity, causing ideal conditions for a very strong Santa Ana event with a high fire danger,” said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning beginning from Sunday night to Tuesday morning, with possible power outages for all of Los Angeles, the entire Bay Area, and Ventura counties except for the Antelope Valley.
