STAFF REPORTS
A DC-10 drops retardant on the Silverado Fire in Orange County. (Photo Courtesy: WildfireToday.org)
Silverado – With extreme drought conditions and triple-digit temperatures egging on the wildfire in the Silverado Canyon area of the Cleveland National Forest, fire personnel fought to gain control of the blaze that blackened nearly 1,000 acres in Orange County last weekend.
The fire broke out on Fri., Sept. 12, allegedly due to a gardening accident. A local resident in the 30500 block of Silverado Canyon Road reportedly attempted to ban pests and small animals from his vegetables by making a barricade with sheet metal. The intense sun reflecting off the metal ignited the structure’s wood supports, and the fire quickly spread. The extreme conditions have made the hillsides like a tinderbox, and all the dry vegetation perpetuated the fire.
800-plus firefighters, and other personnel, have been working round the clock to take control of the fire. Initially, more than 215 homes near the critical area were evacuated for safety, but reports say residents were able to return to their homes on Sunday night when the U.S. Forest Service reported 50 percent containment.
Air support helped with control as helicopters and planes dropped suppressants on the flames, and the lines of containment helped firefighters block the fire and get a handle on the situation.
Several firefighters were injured over that weekend, mostly due to heat-related situations. At press time no structures were lost to this fire.
