Evacuation Warning (Voluntary) remains in place for Long and Modjeska Canyons
Santa Ana, Calif. (March 12, 2025) Effective Wednesday, March 12 at 6 pm, an Evacuation Order (Mandatory) will be issued for areas in Trabuco Creek including the RC Airport, fire station, campground/park and school, Bell Canyon including Starr Ranch and Hot Springs Canyon including Lazy-W Ranch due to possible debris flows along or near the Airport Fire burn scar. An Evacuation Warning (Voluntary) remains in place for Long Canyon and Modjeska Canyon. A map with detailed depictions of the areas under Evacuation Warnings (Voluntary) and Evacuation Orders (Mandatory) can be found at www.ocsheriff.gov/airportfire.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for the burn scar area for Wednesday, March 12 at 10 pm through Thursday, March 13 at 6 pm for the expected rain event.
Any person with disabilities and those with access and/or functional needs requiring evacuation assistance should call Orange County Sheriff’s Department Dispatch at 714-647-7000.
To report storm-related issues with a County road or flood control channel, call the Orange County Public Works Storm Center at 714-955-0333 during flash flood events and emergencies when OC Public Works’ Department Operations Center is activated.
Evacuation Areas
- Trabuco Canyon - Evacuation Order (MANDATORY – as of March 12 at 6 pm)
- Hot Springs Canyon - Evacuation Order (MANDATORY – as of March 12 at 6 pm)
- Bell Canyon - Evacuation Order (MANDATORY – as of March 12 at 6 pm)
- Long Canyon - Evacuation Warning (VOLUNTARY – as of March 12 at 10 am)
- Modjeska Canyon - Evacuation Warning (VOLUNTARY – as of March 12 at 10 am)
Road Closures
Hard road closures will be in place on Wednesday, March 12 at 9 pm at the following locations:
- Trabuco Canyon Road between Rose Canyon Drive and Plano Trabuco near Rancho Santa Margarita
- Hot Springs Canyon at Ortega Highway
OC Animal Care
OC Animal Care is open to house dogs, cats, and small pets for OC Animal Care service area residents under mandatory evacuation orders.
- The shelter is located at 1630 Victory Road Tustin, CA 92782
- If possible, pet owners should bring photo identification, veterinary/vaccination records, special food, and medications along with their animals.
- OC Animal Care service areas include: Anaheim, Brea, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Lake Forest, Orange, Placentia, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Tustin, Villa Park, Yorba Linda, and the County unincorporated areas.
A large animal shelter has been established at the Orange County Fair Grounds, located at 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Large animal owners should call prior to arrival at 714-820-2830.
Any person needing assistance with information about pets or large animal evacuations should call Orange County Animal Care at 714-935-6848 during normal hours from 8 am to 5 pm or 714-259-1122 during after-hours from 5 pm to 8 am.
OC Animal Care encourages animal owners in voluntary evacuation areas to implement their personal evacuation plans at this time. Pet evacuation tips are available at: https://ocpetinfo.com/education-resources/disaster-preparedness.
OC Parks
The following OC Parks’ locations are closed or partially closed as of Wednesday, March 12:
- O'Neill Regional Park - Closed
- Arden: Helena Modjeska Historic House and Gardens - Closed
- Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park - Partial park closure. All trails, day use areas and campgrounds are closed except for Ortega Flats Campground which remains open.
Sheltering
Residents living in the evacuation areas are encouraged to leave early and plan for alternate shelter with friends, family or at a local hotel outside of the evacuation area. Depending on conditions, the Evacuation Warning (Voluntary) may transition to Evacuation Order (Mandatory) with little or no notice, so residents leaving the area are encouraged to plan accordingly.
In coordination with the Orange County Social Services Agency, Orange County Public Libraries and the American Red Cross is currently operating a congregate (dormitory style) shelter location for evacuated residents of the Canyons as of 10 am on Wednesday, March 12. The shelter is located at the Foothill Ranch Library Program Annex, which is directly adjacent to the Foothill Ranch Library located at 27002 Cabriole Way, Foothill Ranch, CA 92610.
Orange County Public Works, Orange County Animal Care, the Orange County Fire Authority and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department are working in Unified Command.
Residents are encouraged to check regularly for updates through local media and on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) following #OCCanyonFlood at:
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