Fire crews battling the Bond Fire burning in Irvine’s Silverado Canyon reported 100 percent containment on Thursday, Dec. 10.

The Bond Fire burned a total of 6,686 acres and destroyed a total of 30 structures, according to the Cal Fire incident report.

In an interview with Irvine Weekly, Blaine Morgan, an Orange County Fire Authority Captain and Public Information Officer, said the cause of the structure fire that sparked the Bond Fire is still being investigated Friday, while hand crews were still on scene working to extinguish any hotspots.

“There are still some isolated hotspots that they’re trying to get at because the terrain is pretty steep in there,” Morgan said.

In a Tweet announcing the fire’s containment on Thursday, Dec. 10, the Orange County Fire Authority also disclosed it would no longer be providing daily updates for the Bond Fire Incident.

Authorities have yet to determine a cause, but according to Morgan, there is an on-going investigation.

In terms of structure damage, the fire destroyed 30 structures, a mix of both residential and commercial. Now, considering the steep, burned terrain, the area will need to be monitored for mudslides and other potentially hazardous events.

“The cause of the [structure] fire is still under investigation. We have our investigators working on it. They haven’t released a cause as of today,” Morgan added. “We’re now transitioning it to the Land Management Department, to manage the burn scar area for any potential rain storms that may cause mudslides — because it burned up the vegetation.”

The Bond Fire began late on the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 1, after flames from a structure fire reached dry vegetation.

By the following morning, the Orange County Fire Authority issued mandatory evacuations for several communities in Irvine, including Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills west of El Toro and North of 241 Toll Road.

On Dec. 3, OCFA reported the blaze had swelled to 7,200 acres, with zero containment. OCFA later corrected the figure with decreased acreage to reflect updated mapping.

As of Friday, Dec. 4, the Orange County Fire Authority reported the use of nearly one dozen aircraft, and 500 firefighters battling the blaze.

On Monday, Dec. 7, Cal Fire reported a 60 percent containment for the Bond Fire.

Yet, the same day, while crews were able to gain progress against the blaze, a Red Flag Warning was issued by the National Weather Service, until Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 10:00 p.m.

While the Bond Fire posed no immediate threat to the city of Irvine, there were mandatory evacuations for the City of Lake Forest, along with voluntary evacuations in Orchard Hills.

A message on the Cal Fire website reminded the public to stay vigilant, and be mindful of debris and fire personnel near burn areas.

“The public is reminded to stay vigilant. Fire personnel, crews working on infrastructure, and unseen dangers may be present in and around the fire area.”

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