Mandatory Evacuation Order issued for Trabuco Creek, Bell Canyon and Hot Springs Canyon near Airport Fire Burn Scar

Santa Ana, Calif. (December 23, 2025) – Effective Wednesday, December 24 at 8 a.m., 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. A map with detailed depictions of the areas under Evacuation Orders (Mandatory) can be found at https://www.ocsheriff.gov/AirportFire.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for the burn scar area for Tuesday, December 23 at 10 p.m. through Wednesday, December 24 at 10 p.m. for the expected rain event. A Flash Flood Warning may be issued if conditions worsen.

Any person with disabilities and those with access and/or functional needs requiring evacuation assistance should call Orange County (OC) Sheriff’s Department Dispatch at 714-647-7000.

To report storm-related issues with a County road or flood control channel, call OC Public Works at 714-955-0200 or the OC Public Works StormCenter at 714-955-0333 during flash flood events and emergencies when its Department Operations Center is activated.

Evacuation Areas

• Trabuco Creek – Evacuation Order (MANDATORY – as of December 24 at 8 a.m.)
• Bell Canyon – Evacuation Order (MANDATORY – as of December 24 at 8 a.m.)
• Hot Springs Canyon – Evacuation Order (MANDATORY – as of December 24 at 8 a.m.)

Road Closures

Hard road closures will be in place on Wednesday, December 24 at 8 a.m. at the following locations:

• Trabuco Canyon Road at Rose Canyon
• Plano Trabuco near Robinson Ranch
• Grey Rock at Bell Canyon
• 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.

Large animal owners in mandatory evacuation areas in need of sheltering options should call OC Animal Care at 714-935-6848 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 714-259-1122 from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. 

OC Parks

The following OC Parks’ locations are closed or partially closed as of Wednesday, December 24:

• O’Neill Regional Park – Closed
• Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park – Partial park closures. 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.

In coordination with the OC Social Services Agency and OC Public Libraries, the County of Orange will open a reception center for evacuated residents at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, December 24. The reception center will belocated 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.

OC Public Works, the OC Fire Authority and the OC Sheriff’s Department are working in Unified Command.

Updates

Residents are encouraged to check regularly for updates through local media and on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) following #OCCanyonFlood at: