Nearly eight months after the Bond Fire in Orange County, Calif., residents say they fear deadly mudslides are on the horizon, despite the state-wide drought. The Bond Fire, which erupted in Silverado Canyon Dec. 2, 2020, burnt away vegetation that previously played a crucial part in capturing and storing rainfall. Without it, rain can fall…

Residents of Williams Canyon are preparing to evacuate their community as potential mudslides caused by fierce rains threaten to destroy their homes and livestock in rural Orange County, California. At noon on Jan. 28, Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies drove through the canyon, urging residents to leave the area and blasting warnings of a “voluntary…

IRVINE, Calif.—As the world nears the end of a grim year, indelible memories will remain for Orange County’s top firefighter, who led crews through devastating wildfires while navigating a pandemic. Two particular dates stand out for Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Chief Brian Fennessy: the day the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 a pandemic,…

With mudslide season approaching, fire victim Susan Iwamoto is making an urgent plea to the County of Orange, as well as California state and federal authorities to help struggling residents in what she calls “the lost canyon.” Iwamoto, 56, and her husband, Wayne, 69, have been living in their ash-and-soot-filled home in Williams Canyon since…