‘Right above our house’: Bond Fire surges overnight in Silverado Canyon
The Bond Fire erupted the night of Dec. 2, claiming 7,200 acres as of Dec. 3 and forcing 25,000 Orange County residents to evacuate. Firefighters are attending the burnt brush off Santiago Canyon Road. Photos by SAM ANDRUS, Photo Editor
It was pitch-black at 12:30 a.m. and the power was out. The radio systems were down. No cell service. There was no easy way for Diane Young, the block captain of her neighborhood in Chino Hills, California, to alert residents of the fire in Silverado Canyon that was rapidly approaching their homes.
So she did it individually. She marched up to 36 households in the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood, pounding on their doors until neighbors woke up.
“Bam, bam, bam, bam,” she said, miming her knocks. “It worked because then everyone was awake, and the sheriff came through the canyon announcing that there was a mandatory evacuation. We could see the fire – the glow of it from our house.”
Over 7,200 acres have been lost to the Bond Fire, which has forced 25,000 residents near Lake Forest and Irvine, California, to evacuate. Two firefighters have been injured and taken to local hospitals, according to Stephen Horner, public information officer of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). He told The Panther that units first responded to a report of a structure fire in Silverado Canyon the night of Dec. 2, where they encountered a home “fully engulfed” in flame.
The fire may be connected to that home, according to the OCFA. Young claimed a Southern California Edison generator was responsible for the eruption, but Horner asserted the cause of the fire is unknown, as its origin is currently being investigated.
Fire retardant was used on the Santiago Canyon (above) and Silverado Canyon brush to slow the spread of the Bond Fire.
Orange County was placed under a red flag warning Dec. 2, signaling weather conditions that can cause brush to burn easily. Horner told The Panther that firefighters are keeping the spread contained to “a box” north of Lake Forest so that the flames don’t jump California State Route 241.
“We didn’t have just a one-day wind event; we have a three-day wind event that is causing the fire to progress,” Horner said. “We’re optimistic at this point to be able to somewhat try to contain it within that (box) … It will be a multi-day event. As far as how many days, I don’t know.”
At a Dec. 3 press conference, OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy said multiple homes have been damaged and are being assessed, but the exact number is yet to be determined. Over 500 firefighters are battling the Bond Fire, with 0% containment.
“(If) you don’t see smoke, you don’t hear sirens, you don’t get the reverse 911, if there’s a concern – you have a concern that maybe the fire’s a little too close – that’s enough,” Fennessy said. “You evacuate … I can’t tell you how many times that I’ve heard people say, ‘Well, I just didn’t realize the fire was going to get there as quickly as it did.’”
“(If) you don’t see smoke, you don’t hear sirens, you don’t get the reverse 911, if there’s a concern – you have a concern that maybe the fire’s a little too close – that’s enough ... You evacuate … I can’t tell you how many times that I’ve heard people say, ‘Well, I just didn’t realize the fire was going to get there as quickly as it did.’”
Evacuation relief areas via the American Red Cross were set up in multiple locations of Orange County, including one in the Santiago Canyon College parking lot, to help fleeing residents obtain temporary motel housing. A Red Cross worker told The Panther that in comparison to not seeing anyone sign up for relief housing during the Silverado Fire, which started Oct. 25, over 100 registered for lodging as a result of the Bond Fire.
One of them was Young, who was seeking an animal shelter to safely hold the three cats and one dog she brought in her car. After she woke up her neighbors, Young initially decided to remain at home until the morning, citing a 50-year-history as a Southern California resident with fire experience. Yet in the morning, the Bond Fire had moved “right above our house.”
“I evacuated for two weeks in 2007 and I’m looking at this one like it's going to be a while, because it's the same type of fire,” Young said. “It’s miles and miles of fire up there.”
Update Dec. 7, 3:51 p.m. PT: All evacuation orders have been lifted. The Bond Fire’s spread is at 7,375 acres with 60% containment. All roads have reopened, with the exception of Santiago Canyon Road. Critical fire weather is expect across California until the afternoon of Dec. 8.