BLUE RIDGE FIRE. Members of the Corona Fire Department battle the Blue Ridge Fire on Monday night, October 26, after a brush fire broke out on the west end of Corona in Riverside County and quickly spread into Orange County. The fire threatened homes in Yorba Linda and burned about 8,000 acres. | Photo courtesy of the Corona FD

TWO wildfires broke out across Southern California on Monday, October 26, prompting tens of thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.

The Silverado Fire, which started near Irvine after 6:45 a.m. on Monday, has swept through 12,600 acres as of Tuesday in the Santa Ana Mountains at Santiago Canyon and Silverado Canyon roads. As strong winds have contributed to the spread, about 5% has been contained with no structures lost, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

However, two firefighters, ages 26 and 31, were critically injured on Monday.

As of press time, Southern California Edison was investigating whether one of its power lines contributed to igniting the Silverado fire.

Meanwhile, the Blue Ridge Fire, which began in Yorba Linda after 1 p.m. on Monday, has scorched 15,200 acres across Orange and San Bernardino counties. It was spreading near Chino Hills, prompting some residents to flee.

The Silverado Fire is seen at a distance from Lake Forest, California on Monday afternoon, October 26. As of Tuesday, it has scorched 12,600 acres.
| Photo courtesy of Arleen Delos Santos-Aquino

About 70,000 homes were under mandatory evacuation in Irvine, while 8,000 homes in Lake Forest and 2,500 in Yorba Linda.

Fil-Am resident Nathaniel Epstein of Baker Ranch in Lake Forest evacuated with his wife, who is pregnant, on Monday morning ahead of the evacuation order.

“We decided it would be best to leave to my in-laws because they live south away from the fires,” Epstein told the Asian Journal. “Since my wife is pregnant, we thought it would be best to be prepared and get ready to leave since we live along the area of the fires.”

Arleen Delos Santos-Aquino and her family stayed on Monday night at their home in Lake Forest’s Whisler Ridge, but could continue to see the fire across the Silverado Canyon.

“It’s very nerve-racking . But what can we do? No time to cry. Pack the essentials and those what can’t be replaced and evacuate if necessary,” Delos Santos-Aquino told the Asian Journal.