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Canyon Fire 2 Now 45% Contained, Most Evacuation Orders Lifted
Most evacuation orders have been lifted as the Canyon Fire 2, which started Monday in the Anaheim Hills area, is now 45% contained, officials said on Wednesday morning.
“Almost all evacuations orders have been lifted. There are a couple streets in some neighborhoods that haven’t been lifted. We hope to lift those very soon,” Captain Larry Kurtz of the Orange County Fire Authority told LAist. As reported at the L.A. Times, evacuation orders were given in Anaheim, Tustin and Orange. Approximately 5,000 homes were evacuated in the process.
Kurtz added that, as of this morning, approximately 8,000 acres have burned in the fire. Authorities estimate that about 30 structures—from homes to out buildings such as garages and sheds—have either been destroyed or damaged in the blaze. Damage assessment teams are working on getting a definitive number of properties affected by the fire. “Hopefully we don’t come up with any that we’ve missed,” said Kurtz. “We wish the number was zero, but right now we’re working to hold it [at 30].”
Authorities told the Times that shifting weather conditions has aided in the fire fighting; the dry winds on Monday have given way to moist breezes, which allowed fire fighters to make progress on the blaze.
As reported at the OC Register, schools in the Tustin Unified School District reopened on Wednesday after closing down for the fire. KTLA notes that several schools in the area—Anaheim Hills, Canyon Rim, Chapman Hills, Linda Vista, Panorama and Running Springs elementary schools—remained closed as of Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, 1660 firefighters were still on the scene fighting the blaze. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
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