Thousands of Irvine Residents Forced to Flee as Silverado Fire Spreads

3 年前

Around 60,000 people were forced to evacuate the Irvine area in California as the wind-driven Silverado Fire erupted and spread rapidly on Monday, October 26, fire officials said.

The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) said the blaze grew from 10 acres to 2,000 acres in a matter of hours on Monday. The OCFA said 500 firefighters were battling the Silverado Fire, but all air support was grounded because of strong winds.

The National Weather Service of San Diego issued a red flag warning for the region, warning of “critical fire weather” prompted by strong gusts and “extremely” dry conditions in southern California.

This video was posted to Instagram by user @idealmotorsoc, who said he filmed it in Irvine on Monday as he evacuated with his wife and two toddlers. “We were stuck in traffic and finally got through, the smoke was intense,” he said. Credit: @idealmotorsoc via Storyful