Day three of the Silverado Fire in eastern Orange County broke with reports that the fire was still spreading slowly, and with fire lines now scratched out around 20 percent of the blaze.
The early morning assessment from fire bosses at the Cleveland National Forest was that 1,600 acres of steep mountains had burned in the 44 or so hours since the fire broke out, midmorning Friday.
No significant winds were spreading the fire, but steep slopes and heavy old brush continued to aid its spread, firefighters said.
Firefighting efforts have been assisted by helicopters making nighttime drops, which is new for the National Forest Service. The agency came under heavy fire for refusing to use new infrared vision equipment in aircraft in the early hours of the disastrous Station Fire near Mt. Wilson in 2009.
A total of 1,048 men and women were working on the fire, with 738 of them on the fire lines amidst temperatures around 100 degrees and very dry air.
Three firefighters had minor heat-related injuries on Friday, but none were reported Saturday.
No cause has been listed for the fire, which broke out at about 10:30 a.m. Friday in the 30500 block of Silverado Canyon Road, east of Irvine and west of the Orange-Riverside county line.
The fire is blackening a largely remote area on the western flanks of Santiago Peak, south of Corona. The fire was still no threat to any cross-mountain routes, firefighters said.
The only homes that remained under mandatory evacuation orders were at the top of the canyon, east of 30300 block of Silverado Canyon Road. The American Red Cross set up an evacuation center at El Modena High School, 3920 E. Spring St., in Orange.
