O.C. and Riverside counties issue voluntary evacuation warnings in Holy fire burn area

Authorities in Orange and Riverside counties issued voluntary evacuation warnings Tuesday for residents who live in the Holy fire burn area, citing thunderstorms expected this week that could trigger mud flows.

Forecasters predict that some mountain areas could see more than 4 inches of rain through Thursday, bringing a risk of flash floods and debris flows in the 23,000-acre burn area.

Voluntary evacuation warnings were issued for homes in the following areas: Trabuco Creek, Rose Canyon, Mystic Oaks and El Cariso areas in Orange County, and Amorose, Alberhill, Glen Ivy A, Glen Eden, Grace, Horsethief A, Laguna A, Matri, McVicker A, Rice, Withrow A in Riverside County.

“People in these zones SHOULD GO NOW — this is the safest time to leave,� Riverside County Emergency Management Department said on its website.

Authorities in Orange County warned that once the rainfall starts, evacuation routes “can quickly become impassable due to mud, debris or flooding.�

An evacuation center was opened at Temescal Canyon High School in Lake Elsinore. Residents were urged to take large animals to the San Jacinto Animal Campus.

In Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the National Weather Service warned of possible shallow mudslides and rock slides in the Woolsey and Hill fire burn areas, especially along Pacific Coast Highway and in the canyons.