Santa Ana, Calif. (March 12, 2025) Effective Wednesday, March 12 at 10 am, an Evacuation Warning (Voluntary) will be issued for areas in the Trabuco Canyon, Hot Springs Canyon, Bell Canyon, Long Canyon and Modjeska Canyon due to possible debris flows along or near the Airport Fire burn scar. A map with detailed depictions of the areas under Evacuation Warning (voluntary) 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.
Canyon residents are strongly encouraged to prepare and voluntarily evacuate on Wednesday, March 12 at 10 am, especially those with disabilities, access and/or functional needs, and canyon residents with large animals.
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.
OC Animal Care encourages animal owners in voluntary evacuation areas to immediately implement their personal evacuation plans. Pet evacuation tips are available at: https://ocpetinfo.com/education-resources/disaster-preparedness.
Any person needing assistance with information about pets or large animal evacuations should call Orange County Animal Care at 714-935-6848 from 8 am to 5 pm or 714-259-1122 during from 5 pm to 8 am.
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 Warning (VOLUNTARY – as of March 12 at 10 am)
- Hot Springs Canyon – Evacuation Warning (VOLUNTARY – as of March 12 at 10 am)
- Bell Canyon – Evacuation Warning (VOLUNTARY – as of March 12 at 10 am)
- 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
While Trabuco Canyon Road at Trabuco Creek is open for public use at this time, there is potential for a road closure at that location as a public safety measure if conditions worsen.
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 will open a congregate (dormitory style) shelter location for evacuated residents of the Canyons at 10 am on Wednesday, March 12. The shelter will be 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:
- X: @OCGovCA
- Facebook:@OCGov
- Instagram: @OCGov
- X: @OCSheriff
- Facebook: @OCSheriff
- Instagram: @OCSheriff
- X: @OCPublicWorks
- Facebook: @OCPublicWorks
- Instagram: @OCPublicWorks
- X: @OCAnimalCare
- Facebook: @OCAnimalCare
- Instagram: @OCAnimalCare
- X: @OCFireAuthority
- Facebook: @OCFireAuthority
- Instagram: @OCFireAuthority
