SILVERADO CANYON—Overnight rains saturated hillsides in Silverado Canyon March 10, prompting a mudslide that trapped some vehicles and led authorities to issue a mandatory evacuation order for the area.
No injuries were immediately reported from the slide, which occurred around 7 a.m., sending thick mud cascading onto Silverado Canyon Road between roughly Ladd Canyon Road and Olive Drive.
Silverado Canyon Road was closed as crews descended on the area with bulldozers and other equipment to clear the muck from the roadway.
With more rain anticipated to fall in the area, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department issued a mandatory evacuation order late the morning of March 10 for residents in Modjeska and Williams canyons as well.
It was not immediately clear if any homes were damaged by the morning mudslide.
According to the National Weather Service, more than a half-inch of rain fell over a roughly three-hour period in the area, which was the location of December’s Bond Fire that burned more than 6,600 acres.
“They’ve got at least four mudslides’' in the fire-scarred canyons, said Carrie Braun of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Three of the mudslides were considered minor, she added.
“Public works is out there working with the (Orange County Fire Authority) to remove the debris, and that’s going to take at least a couple of hours to make the roads passable,” Braun said about 10:30 a.m. “There are also some mudslides on private property so we’re looking into reports of that.”
