Bond Fire
{{Short description|2020 wildfire in Southern California}}
{{Distinguish|bonfire}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox wildfire
| title = Bond Fire
| caption = Two firefighters battling a Bond Fire hotspot on December 5
| image = Bond Fire firefighters.jpg
| image_size =
| location = Santiago Canyon, Orange County, California
| coordinates = {{coord|33.777|-117.638|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = California
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in California
| cost =
| date = {{Unbulleted list|{{Start date|2020|12|2}} – |{{End date|2020|12|10}}}}
| area = {{convert|6,686|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}}
| cause = House fire
| buildings = 31
| injuries = 2
| fatalities =
| perps =
| motive =
| reference ={{Cite web|title=Bond Fire Information|url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/12/2/bond-fire/|website=fire.ca.gov|date=December 2, 2020|access-date=December 16, 2020}}{{Cite web|date=December 5, 2020|url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7275/|title=Bond Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System|website=inciweb.nwcg.gov}}{{cite web|first=Kwame Opam|last=Neil Vidgor|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/us/bond-fire-california.html|title=Wildfire Erupts Outside Los Angeles, Forcing Evacuation of 25,000 Residents|website=The New York Times|date=December 3, 2020|access-date=December 16, 2020}}
}}
The Bond Fire was a wildfire that burned {{convert|6,686|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}} in the Santiago Canyon area of Orange County, California in December 2020. The fire caused evacuations of 25,000 residents and injured 2 firefighters. The fire was very close to the burn scar of the Silverado Fire, which took place in October 2020.
Timeline
The fire was first reported on December 2, 2020, in the unincorporated community of Silverado. Authorities identified a home on a street called Bond Way as the source of the fire, thus becoming the event's namesake.{{cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/12/04/vegetation-fire-breaks-out-in-silverado-canyon-area-3/|title=Vegetation Fire Breaks Out in Silverado Canyon Area|website=Mercury News|date=December 7, 2020|access-date=December 29, 2020}} The communities of Silverado Canyon, Williams Canyon, and Modjeska Canyon were placed under mandatory evacuation in the early morning of December 3, and nearby Portola Hills was also evacuated later on.{{cite web |last1=Cota-Robles |first1=Marc |title=6,400-acre Bond Fire in OC's Silverado Canyon prompts mandatory evacuations, leaves 2 firefighters injured |url=https://abc7.com/silverado-canyon-bond-fire-brush-orange-county/8459215/ |website=ABC 7 |access-date=December 30, 2020 |date=December 4, 2020}} On December 4, two firefighters from the Cleveland National Forest division of the United States Forest Service suffered injuries while battling the blaze. The two were treated on the scene and sent to a hospital for further evaluation.{{cite web|url=https://www.firehouse.com/operations-training/wildland/news/21165191/two-ca-firefighters-injured-battling-bond-fire|title=Two CA Firefighters Injured Battling Bond Fire|website=Firehouse|date=December 4, 2020|access-date=December 30, 2020}} It was later reported that one firefighter had injured their leg, the other was bruised, and both were released from the hospital the same day.{{cite web |last1=Kurzweil |first1=Tony |title=2 firefighters released from hospital after suffering injuries while battling Bond Fire in Silverado Canyon |url=https://ktla.com/news/local-news/2-firefighters-released-from-hospital-after-battling-bond-fire-in-silverado-canyon/ |website=KTLA 5 |access-date=December 30, 2020 |date=December 4, 2020}} On December 6, authorities lifted all mandatory evacuations and allowed canyon residents to return to their homes.{{cite web |last1=McAboy |first1=Koco |title=Bond Fire: All remaining evacuation orders in Orange County downgraded to warnings |url=https://www.foxla.com/news/bond-fire-all-remaining-evacuation-order-in-orange-county-now-downgraded-to-warnings |website=FOX 11 Los Angeles |access-date=December 30, 2020 |date=December 8, 2020}} By December 7, the fire was at 70% containment, which at that time, already destroyed 31 structures.{{cite web|title=Power shutoffs hit Southern California as dangerous fire weather returns|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-07/fire-weather-brings-potential-power-shutoffs-southern-california|date=December 7, 2020|access-date=December 16, 2020|website=Los Angeles Times|first=Hailey|last=Smith}} The fire was fully contained on December 10, 2020.
Impact
On December 1, the day before the fire, Southern California Edison had cut power to Silverado Canyon due to dangerous wildfire conditions. The lack of electricity caused issues with the reporting of the fire, and the outage continued through the height of the event.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/03/bond-fire-silverado-southern-california|title=Out-of-control Bond fire forces residents to flee in southern California|website=The Guardian|date=December 3, 2020|access-date=December 16, 2020}} The fire forced the evacuations of 25,000 people and caused the air quality to be very poor.{{cite web |title=Bond Fire Devastates Rancho Soñado, Home Of Orange County 'Inside The Outdoors' School Program |url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/12/11/bond-fire-devastates-rancho-sonado-home-orange-county-schools-inside-the-outdoors-program/ |website=CBS Los Angeles |access-date=December 30, 2020 |date=December 11, 2020}} Residents said that "they can't walk or drive", and that fires are a routine. Rancho Soñado, home of the Orange County Department of Education's "Inside the Outdoors" learning program, was mostly destroyed by the wildfire. Shelter was not provided due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web|date=December 4, 2020|url=https://abc7.com/map-evacuations-fire-oc/8467884/|title=Bond Fire: Map shows evacuation areas as 6,400-acre blaze burns uncontrolled in OC's Silverado Canyon|access-date=December 16, 2020|website=Eyewitness News}} An eight-year-old female mountain lion tagged as F121, one of approximately 15 to 20 known to live in the Santa Ana mountain range, was killed by the wildfire.{{cite web |last1=Vickers |first1=Winston |title=Mountain lion studies update |url=https://sdmmp.com/upload/SDMMP_Repository/0/npfzvxhdrm0jsqw82194365ytkcb7.pdf |website=San Diego Management & Monitoring Program |publisher=UC Davis Wildlife Health Center |access-date=February 7, 2021 }}
The Bond Fire left much of the vegetation in its path burned, depriving the soil of stability. On January 28, 2021, a voluntary evacuation order was issued in anticipation of a rain storm that posed a threat of mudflows. California Conservation Corps crews worked that day to remove debris that would become dangerous in the event of a mudflow.{{cite web |title=Evacuation Warning In Place For Bond Fire Burn Area As Storm Approaches |url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/01/28/voluntary-evacuation-order-in-place-for-bond-fire-burn-area-as-storm-approaches/ |website=CBS Los Angeles |access-date=January 30, 2021 |date=January 28, 2021}} Heavy rain that night caused mudflows that blocked some roads in Silverado Canyon, rendering them impassible. At least one home was evacuated mandatorily and Orange County Public Works crews helped to clear the mud with bulldozers.{{cite web |last1=Ludwig |first1=Ashley |title=Mudslides Overnight Bury Roads, Block Homes Of Bond Fire Evacuees |url=https://patch.com/california/ranchosantamargarita/mudslides-overnight-bury-roads-block-homes-bond-fire-evacuees |website=Patch Rancho Santa Margarita |access-date=January 30, 2021 |date=January 29, 2021}}
A second series of mudflows occurred in Silverado Canyon on the morning of March 10, 2021.{{cite web |title=Mudslide Strikes Silverado Canyon During Wednesday Storm, Hundreds Evacuated |url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/03/10/mudslide-strikes-silverado-canyon-during-storm/ |website=CBS 2 Los Angeles |access-date=March 10, 2021 |date=March 10, 2021}} The mudflows prompted the mandatory evacuations of residents in Silverado, Williams, and Modjeska Canyons, all as a result of their Bond Fire burn scar proximity.{{cite web |last1=Cabrera |first1=Tony |title=Rain-triggered mudslides in burn areas of Silverado, Modjeska and Williams canyons in OC prompt mandatory evacs |url=https://abc7.com/silverado-canyon-mudslides-oc-socal-rain-triggers-in-evacuations/10403619/ |website=ABC 7 Los Angeles |access-date=March 10, 2021 |date=March 10, 2021}} The mudflows damaged and trapped several cars, but no injuries were initially reported.{{cite web |last1=Childs |first1=Jan |title=Mudslide Traps Cars in California, Evacuations Ordered |url=https://weather.com/news/news/2021-03-10-mudslide-landslide-irvine-california-evacuations-silverado-canyon |website=The Weather Channel |access-date=March 10, 2021 |date=March 10, 2021}}
On December 14, 2021, a large storm swept through the Southern California area, triggering mudflows in Silverado Canyon for the third time since the Bond Fire. Foothill areas experienced up to 7 inches of rain during the storm. The three communities near the fire burn scar were mandatorily evacuated, but firefighters still had to rescue several residents.{{cite web |title=OC firefighters rescue trapped residents as rain triggers mudslides in Silverado Canyon |url=https://abc7.com/storm-evacuation-orders-silverado-canyon-williams-tuesday-rain/11339492/ |website=ABC7 Los Angeles |access-date=3 February 2022 |date=14 December 2021}} The day after the storm, five houses in Silverado Canyon were red-tagged, several cars were damaged, and many trees were uprooted.{{cite web |last1=De Nova |first1=Jessica |title=Massive cleanup underway in Silverado Canyon after powerful storm triggers mudslides |url=https://abc7.com/silverado-canyon-storm-orange-county-mudslides/11345223/ |website=ABC7 Los Angeles |access-date=3 February 2022 |date=15 December 2021}}
On December 23, 2021, Silverado Canyon experienced more mudflows related to the winter rain frequent in the region's Mediterranean (Csa) climate. The event impacted several roads in the community, particularly near the intersection of Silverado Canyon Road and Olive Drive.{{cite web |title=Mudslide In Silverado Canyon Impacts Roads, Some Homes |url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/12/24/mudslide-in-silverado-canyon-impacts-roads-some-homes/ |website=CBS Los Angeles |publisher=ViacomCBS |access-date=3 February 2022 |date=24 December 2021}} Another mandatory evacuation order was issued on December 30 but ultimately was downgraded to voluntary status as the rain was not as severe as expected.{{cite web |last1=De Nova |first1=Jessica |title=Rain-related evacuations downgraded to voluntary for OC's Bond Fire burn area |url=https://abc7.com/rain-evacuation-warnings-mudslides-silverado-canyon/11401740/ |website=ABC7 Los Angeles |access-date=3 February 2022 |date=30 December 2021}}
Fire growth and containment progress
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|+Fire containment status{{cite web |title=Bond Fire Updates |url=https://www.lakeforestca.gov/1045/Bond-Fire-Updates |website=City of Lake Forest |access-date=January 30, 2021}} | ||
| Date
!Area burned | Containment | |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2 | {{convert|1000|acre|km2|abbr=values|0}} | style="text-align: left;"|{{percentile|0|width=69|height=15|text-size=10|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white}} |
| Dec 3 | {{convert|7200|acre|km2|abbr=values|0}} | style="text-align: left;"|{{percentile|0|width=497|height=15|text-size=10|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white}} |
| Dec 4 | {{convert|6400|acre|km2|abbr=values|0}} | style="text-align: left;"|{{percentile|10|width=442|height=15|text-size=10|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white}} |
| Dec 5 | {{convert|7375|acre|km2|abbr=values|0}} | style="text-align: left;"|{{percentile|40|width=509|height=15|text-size=10|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white}} |
| Dec 6 | {{convert|7375|acre|km2|abbr=values|0}} | style="text-align: left;"|{{percentile|55|width=509|height=15|text-size=10|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white}} |
| Dec 7 | {{convert|7375|acre|km2|abbr=values|0}} | style="text-align: left;"|{{percentile|60|width=509|height=15|text-size=10|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white}} |
| Dec 8 | {{convert|6686|acre|km2|abbr=values|0}}{{efn|Acreage downgraded to 6,686 due to more accurate mapping of the fire.}} | style="text-align: left;"|{{percentile|75|width=461|height=15|text-size=10|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white}} |
| Dec 9 | {{convert|6686|acre|km2|abbr=values|0}} | style="text-align: left;"|{{percentile|85|width=461|height=15|text-size=10|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white}} |
| Dec 10 | {{convert|6686|acre|km2|abbr=values|0}} | style="text-align: left;"|{{percentile|100|width=461|height=15|text-size=10|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white}} |
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See also
{{Portal|California}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{California wildfires}}
Category:Wildfires in Orange County, California