Fire officials announced today that 3,000 evacuees from Silverado, Blackstar and Baker Canyons could return to their homes.
The Santa Ana winds today were not as strong as expected, allowing for the evacuees' return. A red flag warning that had been issued through Sunday night was canceled this afternoon.
The throng of residents erupted in a cheer, some strumming banjoes, others dancing a jig.
"We haven't worried about it a bit," said Ray Verdugo, a five-year resident of Silverado. "I had full faith in the fire department and didn't think twice. I was very confident in their ability."
The evacuees, bound together in their anxiety, now breathe a collective sigh in their return.
"We're showing Orange County that we're survivors, tight-knit and stick together in a community," Verdugo said. "This is a fellowship."
The sentiment is shared by others in the jubilant crowd. "I lost a house in Katrina," said Zach Dupre, a 35-year resident of the canyon, who spent two weeks camping in the parking lot of Albertson's at Jamboree Road and Chapman Avenue.
"But I've been having a good time here," Dupre said. "I don't want to leave, but I can't wait to go home."
Despite containment hovering at 90 percent for several days, fire officials still expect full containment of the 2-week-old fire by Sunday, fire officials said.
The fight against the winds – forecasted to blow between 15-25 mph with 35 mph gusts – is one firefighters have prepared for over two days.
Carving up ridgelines with bulldozers and hand crews, lighting backfires into an unburned island of brush and extinguishing buried debris, hot as burning charcoal in sand, are among the chores crews have done in preparation for today.
Helicopters dropping water along the ridges and hot spots have been helping the hand crews, but may cause thick smoke to spread with the winds throughout the county today. The choking columns, previously rising straight up from the canyons, may carry into populated areas with unknown affects on air quality, Cunningham said.
But for now the lines hold.
And while the breeze along ridges is temporarily providing aid, humidity dropping to the single digits today makes the surrounding brush explosively combustible if embers were to carry.
Steep and rugged terrain also have inhibited the efforts of crews exhausted from around-the-clock work.
A breakthrough came Thursday with drip torches off helicopters being used to ignite a still-burning island of brush inside the lines – shrinking the material from an estimated 300 to 40 acres, Cunningham said.
Precautions from crews on the line are matched with fire engines and personnel spread throughout populated areas to monitor any possible flare-ups, according to officials. Over seven engines and 165 firefighters were positioned throughout the edges of the lines bordering residential areas including Portola Hills, Silverado Canyon and Trabuco Canyon.
A total of 1,245 fire personnel continue to battle the blaze, at an estimated cost of $14.3 million since the start of the fire.
The fire – which has destroyed 15 homes and injured 13 people – was intentionally set. A reward of $250,000 is offered for information leading to the capture and conviction of the person responsible, officials said.
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The Santa Ana winds today were not as strong as expected, allowing for the evacuees' return. A red flag warning that had been issued through Sunday night was canceled this afternoon.
The throng of residents erupted in a cheer, some strumming banjoes, others dancing a jig.
"We haven't worried about it a bit," said Ray Verdugo, a five-year resident of Silverado. "I had full faith in the fire department and didn't think twice. I was very confident in their ability."
The evacuees, bound together in their anxiety, now breathe a collective sigh in their return.
"We're showing Orange County that we're survivors, tight-knit and stick together in a community," Verdugo said. "This is a fellowship."
The sentiment is shared by others in the jubilant crowd. "I lost a house in Katrina," said Zach Dupre, a 35-year resident of the canyon, who spent two weeks camping in the parking lot of Albertson's at Jamboree Road and Chapman Avenue.
"But I've been having a good time here," Dupre said. "I don't want to leave, but I can't wait to go home."
Despite containment hovering at 90 percent for several days, fire officials still expect full containment of the 2-week-old fire by Sunday, fire officials said.
The fight against the winds – forecasted to blow between 15-25 mph with 35 mph gusts – is one firefighters have prepared for over two days.
Carving up ridgelines with bulldozers and hand crews, lighting backfires into an unburned island of brush and extinguishing buried debris, hot as burning charcoal in sand, are among the chores crews have done in preparation for today.
Helicopters dropping water along the ridges and hot spots have been helping the hand crews, but may cause thick smoke to spread with the winds throughout the county today. The choking columns, previously rising straight up from the canyons, may carry into populated areas with unknown affects on air quality, Cunningham said.
But for now the lines hold.
And while the breeze along ridges is temporarily providing aid, humidity dropping to the single digits today makes the surrounding brush explosively combustible if embers were to carry.
Steep and rugged terrain also have inhibited the efforts of crews exhausted from around-the-clock work.
A breakthrough came Thursday with drip torches off helicopters being used to ignite a still-burning island of brush inside the lines – shrinking the material from an estimated 300 to 40 acres, Cunningham said.
Precautions from crews on the line are matched with fire engines and personnel spread throughout populated areas to monitor any possible flare-ups, according to officials. Over seven engines and 165 firefighters were positioned throughout the edges of the lines bordering residential areas including Portola Hills, Silverado Canyon and Trabuco Canyon.
A total of 1,245 fire personnel continue to battle the blaze, at an estimated cost of $14.3 million since the start of the fire.
The fire – which has destroyed 15 homes and injured 13 people – was intentionally set. A reward of $250,000 is offered for information leading to the capture and conviction of the person responsible, officials said.
Discuss Add this link to... Bury
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