A fire at a Southern California Edison substation in Irvine was reported on SCE’s Twitter feed three hours ago. The fire resulted in loss of power by over 26,000 residents. The good news is that power has been restored as of twenty minutes ago.
The Orange County Fire Authority responded to the fire as did SCE personnel. Continue reading
New Orange County Fire Watch Network
By: Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates
With the memories of the 2007 Santiago Fire and the 2008 Freeway Complex Fire lingering as painful reminders of the devastation wildfires can inflict on our wilderness areas and nearby residential communities, in 2009 I initiated OC Fire Watch in partnership with the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and OC Parks.
OC Fire Watch increases public awareness of fire dangers by raising red “Fire Alert” flags at OC Parks and other County facilities, as well as at OCFA fire stations and participating city halls throughout Orange County. The program also incorporates OC Fire Watch volunteers to help monitor the County’s wilderness parks, which are especially vulnerable to fire during Red Flag conditions.
Needless to say, the past two years of drought have increased the wild land fire danger to extreme conditions. As such, Irvine Ranch Conservancy has been working with OC Parks to ensure the County’s open space fire prevention needs continue to be met. Continue reading
John Howe
City of Irvine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PRESS RELEASE #5-7-2014
Subject: Arson Suspect Arrested After Reporting Fire
Contact : Steve Concialdi, Captain, Orange County Fire Authority 714-357-7782, steveconcialdi@ocfa.org
Julia Engen, Commander, Irvine Police Department 949-724-7112, jengen@cityofirvine.org
IRVINE, CA (May 7, 2014): Tuesday May 6, at 7:25 p.m., Irvine Police Officers and the Orange County Fire Authority responded to a brush fire on the hillside, just below Rustling Wind, in the Turtle Rock area of Irvine. Personnel from the OCFA were able to quickly extinguish the fire, limiting the damage to an approximate 40′ x 30′ area of dry grass and preventing any structures or homes from being threatened. Continue reading
NEWS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Explosion in Dana Point May Have Been Drug-Related
DANA POINT, CA – (November 6, 2013) – On Tuesday, November 5, 2013 at approximately 12 p.m., Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) firefighters and Orange County Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a structure fire in the 26000 block of Vista Del Mar in the city of Dana Point. The initial information indicated that the fire was as a result of several large explosions coming from the garage of a residence. Approximately 60 firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire. Firefighters treated an adult male victim with serious burns to his face, chest, arms and legs and transported him to a local hospital. Continue reading
UPDATE: Castillo is the son of an 18-year veteran Orange County Fire Authority firefighter stationed in Santa Ana, according to the statement. (NBC News)
NEWS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Lt. Jeff Hallock, OCSD, (714) 904-7042/Batt. Chief Kelly Zimmerman, OCFA, (714) 483-0194
Suspect Arrested in Connection with Yorba Linda Arson Fires
YORBA LINDA, CA – (August 26, 2013) – On Sunday August 25, 2013 an arrest was made in connection with three (3) arson fires that were set in the east Yorba Linda area last week. Gabriel Michael Castillo, 19, Anaheim Hills was arrested and booked into Orange County Jail on charges of arson following a collaborative investigation by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD), Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), Anaheim Police Department (APD) and Anaheim Fire & Rescue (AF&R). Continue reading
From the OC Politics Blog
Irvine could receive discounts worth as much as $280 million after 17 years of overpaying the Orange County Fire Authority, according to a new proposal drafted to keep the city in the 24-member agency, as reported by the O.C. Register.
Irvine is overpaying for fire protection by at least $18.4 million – subsidizing the costs of other communities under a complex tax system that could cause the city to break with the Orange County Fire Authority. The city and OCFA don’t agree just how much Irvine is being overtaxed, with the Fire Authority calculating the overage at $18.4 million in 2010-11, while Irvine says it is closer to $35 million annually, according to the O.C. Register.
There are major potential problems that could impact the OCFA’s existence and maybe even lead to its termination, according to an inside source that tipped us off: Continue reading