Southern Calif. wildfire forces 25K evacuations

A firefighter battles the Bond Fire in Silverado, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:18 AM PT – Friday, December 4, 2020

Firefighters in Southern California are responding to another wildfire after a blaze exploded in Orange County. According to reports, an estimated 25,000 residents were forced to flee their homes Thursday night.

“And when you do that, when you leave late, you make it very difficult for law enforcement and for the fire apparatus to get in there and protect and defend those homes,” stated Chief Brian Fennessy of OCFA PIO. “So please, please please…if there’s any doubt, please evacuate.”

Officials said the blaze started inside a home Wednesday and quickly spread. Plenty of tinder dry brush and unfavorable weather conditions are making it particularly challenging to fight the flames.

“We had erratic, strong Santa Ana winds…quickly pushed the flames from the house into the vegetation and the fire grew rapidly,” said Fire Captain Thanh Nguyen of OCFA PIO. “It caused a robust response.”

Update on the #BondFire:
• 7200 acres
• 0% containment
• 25,000 residents evacuated

If you are in a possible evacuation zone please be prepared to evacuate immediately. More in at https://t.co/IfID6ZK6w9 pic.twitter.com/I58Foa2572

— OCFA PIO (@OCFA_PIO) December 4, 2020

Officials said two firefighters were injured and were transported to a hospital. Meanwhile, residents were reportedly met with challenges as some were unaware of the evacuation order.

Some residents said they were unable to receive the evacuation orders due to a public safety power shutoff. Southern California Edison utilities began cutting power Wednesday with the goal to prevent new wildfires from starting.

The company might continue to de-energize more lines until Saturday, which could cause 250,000 customers to lose electricity. If this action is taken, it would be one of the largest precautionary blackouts that the company has ever done.

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