Fire crews battling the Blue Ridge Fire that sparked Monday in Orange County are experiencing better weather conditions as they focus on containment and structure protection Wednesday.
“Our firefighters have done an amazing job over the last 48 hours,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Greg Barta said.
No visible flames could be seen Wednesday morning as winds died down in the Yorba Linda area and crews continued to work to keep hot spots from flaring up. “Things are definitely improving out here,” Barta said.
The size of the wildfire was downgraded from 15,200 acres to 14,334 acres as containment reached 23%, according to a CalFire update.
About 1,000 firefighters are now assisting in the fight to slow the spread of the fire, which jumped the 71 Freeway Tuesday and prompted officials to issue evacuation orders for parts of Chino Hills.
“It’s hard to leave your home,” Chino Hills resident Raquel Gallegos said.
Multiple homes were damaged in Yorba Linda, where the fire erupted about 1 p.m. Monday, CalFire stated in its update.
The Orange County Fire Authority has confirmed damage to at least 10 homes in Yorba Linda.
Powerful Santa Ana winds pushed the fire’s rapid growth as it burned through thousands of acres Monday and Tuesday.
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, all evacuation orders and warning related to the Blue Ridge Fire were lifted.
Earlier in the day, about 2,500 homes were under evacuation orders in Yorba Linda and nearly 6,000 in Chino Hills, according to the Fire Authority. The city of Brea announced evacuation orders for 276 homes.
Orange County residents can enter their address on this page on the county website to see if they’re under evacuation orders and sign up for alerts on AlertOC.org.
Map of Orange County evacuations:
Map of San Bernardino County evacuations:
Those living in Chino Hills can visit the city website or follow the city’s official Twitter account for updates.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department announced Wednesday morning that evacuations would be lifted for the southern portion of Diamond Bar at 10 a.m.
No injuries have been reported in the Blue Ridge Fire. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Two firefighters were critically injured fighting the Silverado Fire, which is also burning in Orange County.
That blaze had scorched 13,354 acres and was 5% contained as of Tuesday night.