California Fire Map, Updates as Bond Fire Sparks Mass Evacuation of Silverado Canyon

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The Bond Fire in Silverado Canyon has seen around 25,000 residents evacuated from the affected area, according to the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA).

Cal Fire warned Thursday: "Near hurricane level winds are impacting Southern CA [California] leading to an increase in wildfire activity. Although temperatures are decreasing this serves as [a] reminder that wildfire danger is not over," in a post on Twitter.

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned Friday: "Critical fire weather threats continue in southern California and are likely to persist through the weekend."

Here are updates on some of the latest fires in California.

Bond Fire

  • Location: Orange County.
  • Acres: 6,400.
  • Containment: 10 percent.

The Bond Fire, which sparked Wednesday in Silverado Canyon around 50 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, blazed out of control on Thursday, according to officials.

Its acreage was previously reported to be at 7,200 acres, with zero percent containment but "due to more accurate mapping, the #BondFire is at 6,400 acres w/10 percent containment," OCFA tweeted Friday.

Bond Fire evacuation map: Hundreds in California told to leave as wind-fueled fire spreads https://t.co/U7JqCH1Qdf

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) December 3, 2020

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for residents in the areas including Silverado Canyon, Williams Canyon, Modjeska Canyon, Foothill Ranch as well as Portola Hills, west of El Toro and north of the 241 Toll Road.

Residents in Borrego Canyon and other communities nearby were warned to prepare to evacuate, while remaining parts of the Portola Hills are under voluntary evacuation warnings, according to officials.

The OCFA tweeted Friday: "Evacuation orders have been lifted in Lake Forest, North of Alton Parkway, East of the 241." See the Orange County Sheriff's Department website for the latest updates on all evacuations.

"Per @CalTrans, all roads are reopened except for Santiago Canyon Road," the OCFA noted.

The fire is expected to burn through the weekend, fuelled by tinder-dry brush and high winds, according to OCFA Capt. Paul Holaday.

The Bond Fire is "a fully involved structure fire that extended into the brush," noted Holaday. "With the high winds at the time and continuing through the weekend, this is going to be an ongoing campaign fire."

Check out the December #WildfireOutlook. La Niña & current fuel conditions remain the principal drivers of significant fire potential into spring. Drought conditions are expected to continue in California, Great Basin, & Southwest.https://t.co/o1h54wbgr8 pic.twitter.com/xC8pshYhWx

— Bureau of Land Management Fire and Aviation (@BLMFire) December 1, 2020

Willow Fire

  • Location: San Diego County.
  • Acres: 30.
  • Containment: 100 percent.

The Willow Fire in Rancho San Diego has been fully contained, with one engine remaining on scene in patrol status, Cal Fire tweeted Friday.

Driven by Santa Ana winds, the Willow Fire destroyed at least one home and damaged six others, according to Cal Fire.

The blaze threatened around 200 homes across San Diego County, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Capt. Thomas Shoots.

The fire's forward rate of spread stopped at around 25 acres, according to San Miguel Fire & Rescue.

Firefighters were able to gain control of the blaze due to its location. Shoots noted: "A lot of it had to do with where it started, and because this particular area is basically a little belt of vegetation surrounded by homes and roads, it kind of ran out of fuel. If this fire had gone east, it would have been off to the races."

Evacuation orders have been lifted but road closures are in place for some communities. See the San Diego County Emergency Site for more information.

Here's the #weather snapshot for #Friday, December 4. Critical fire weather threats continue in southern California and are likely to persist through the weekend. Meanwhile, a system will strengthen in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic with heavy rain and isolated severe storms. pic.twitter.com/LK41TcblnW

— National Weather Service (@NWS) December 4, 2020

Other fires

  • Airport Fire in Riverside County: 750 acres; 10 percent contained.
  • Cerritos Fire in Riverside County: 200 acres; 25 percent contained.

See the Cal Fire website for more information on other fires across California.

Bond Fire Silverado Canyon California December 2020
The Bond Fire burns in the Silverado Canyon area of Orange County on December 3 near Irvine, California. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

About the writer

Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean


Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more