All evacuations lifted in Irvine after Silverado Fire; schools resume instruction

Mandatory evacuations from the Silverado Fire have been lifted for the entire city of Irvine allowing residents to return to their homes while officials from the Irvine Unified School District announced Wednesday that instruction resumes Thursday.

City officials noted on the city website that “on Monday, Oct. 26, the Irvine Police Department and Orange County Fire Authority successfully evacuated more than 90,000 residents after the ignition of the Silverado Fire. We thank you for your cooperation and patience during these challenging times.”

The Orange County Fire Authority said the fire involved more than 13,000 acres and was 25 percent contained with no structure damage.

City officials added that “California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and City of Irvine Public Works would continue to clean up leftover hazards, including fallen trees and branches from the high winds and fires on Monday and Tuesday.” 

Irvine Unified School District officials said that all elementary academic models will resume regularly scheduled instruction on Thursday.

Officials added that instruction will resume online for all middle and high school academic models Thursday and Friday and added that regular academic model schedules will resume on Monday.

There was no indication on whether practices for high school athletic teams in Irvine would be allowed to resume Thursday or would be postponed because of air quality concerns.

District officials plan to monitor the air quality in the coming days and said they would provide updates.

“IUSD would also like to extend our deep appreciation to the Orange County Fire Authority and the Irvine Police Department,” the district said in a statement. “They have been working around the clock to keep our residents, homes, schools and community safe. We have collaborated closely with them throughout this incident and appreciate their partnership.”

Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine, which evacuated on Monday and was closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, will resume in person instruction on Monday. Athletic camps will also be allowed to resume at that time.

Principal Daniel Moyer said Tuesday the campus avoided major structural damage.

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com