Los Angeles County Monday reached the grim threshold of 7,000 deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, and surpassed 300,000 cases.

The Silverado Fire burns 7,200 acres threatening homes in Irvine on Monday evening.

ORANGE COUNTY (KABC) -- Two major brush fires burning right now in Orange County fueled by the dangerous Santa Ana Winds. Two firefighters are critically injured, and more than 60,000 people are evacuated. The smoky fire exploded in size to 7,200 acres after breaking out at 6:47 a.m. Monday in the area of Santiago Canyon Road and Silverado Canyon Road. Strong gusts pushed flames along brushy ridges in Silverado Canyon and near houses in the sprawling city of Irvine, home to about 280,000 residents. There was no containment. Two firefighters, one 26 and the other 31 years old, were critically injured while battling the blaze, according to the county's Fire Authority. They each suffered second- and third-degree burns over large portions of their bodies and were intubated at a hospital, officials said.

The strong Santa Ana winds causes several big rigs to turn over in several areas on Monday.

Another wind-driven rapidly spreading fire. The Blue Ridge Fire broke out in the Yorba Linda area and has burned 1,100 acres so far.

CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- A brush fire that rapidly spread to at least 200 acres is threatening homes in the Corona area and advancing toward Yorba Linda. The Blue Ridge Fire was initially burning in the area of Green River Road near the Green River Golf course and the 91 Freeway. It was initially named the Green Fire and then changed to the Blue Ridge Fire, for Blue Ridge Drive in Yorba Linda. Fire officials say the fire may soon pose an immediate threat to residences in Yorba Linda. Evacuation orders were issued for Yorba Linda neighborhoods north of the 91 Freeway, east of Gypsum Canyon including Bryant Ranch Elementary school, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. "Anyone in the affected area should evacuate immediately," the OCSD tweeted. The fire broke out on a day of intense Santa Ana winds throughout Southern California that triggered a red-flag warning for the area. Other fires around the region have spread rapidly and some areas are seeing gusts in excess of 50 mph. Temperatures are cool, but humidity is very low in the brush.

IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- Two firefighters were critically injured while battling a quickly spreading vegetation fire that broke out near Irvine Monday morning, which prompted as the region was seeing strong winds. The blaze, dubbed the Silverado Fire, was reported just after 6:45 a.m. at 10 acres in size in the area of Santiago Canyon and Silverado Canyon roads, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. There had been conflicting reports regarding the size of the blaze, but the department confirmed that it had scorched 4,000 acres with 0% containment as of 1 p.m. Five-hundred fire personnel rapidly launched an aggressive fight against the flames as winds caused them to move with a "moderate rate of spread," eventually jumping the 241 toll road and forcing people from their homes, officials said.

For the upcoming winter quarter, UCLA will continue to offer primarily remote-only instruction, following the protocols that were put in place for the current fall quarter in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the university announced Monday.UCLA officials said there will continue to be a limited number of exceptions that will allow in-person or hybrid instruction in courses necessary for training students for essential workforce positions.

IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- Two firefighters were critically injured while battling a quickly spreading vegetation fire that broke out near Irvine Monday morning, which prompted as the region was seeing strong winds. The blaze, dubbed the Silverado Fire, scorched 7,200 acres with 0% containment as of 4:30 p.m., according to the Orange County Fire Authority. Approximately 22,000 homes were evacuated, impacting approximately 90,800 residents. No structures were confirmed lost, according to officials. The fire was reported just after 6:45 a.m. at 10 acres in size in the area of Santiago Canyon and Silverado Canyon roads, according to OCFA. At least 500 fire personnel rapidly launched an aggressive fight against the flames as winds caused the blaze to move with a "moderate rate of spread," eventually jumping the 241 toll road and forcing people from their homes, officials said.

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County reached the grim threshold of 7,000 COVID-19 deaths and surpassed 300,000 cases Monday, and the county's public health director suggested that a dramatic uptick in average daily cases over the past month is likely due in part to gatherings of sports fans.Barbara Ferrer said the county has seen a concerning increase in daily case reports, rising from an average of about 940 per day at the beginning of October to almost 1,200 per day over the past week.

SYLMAR, Calif. - Police on Monday released surveillance video of a hit-and-run motorcyclist who struck a 6-year-old boy riding a scooter in Sylmar.  The boy was riding his scooter about 6:30 p.m. Saturday near Cobalt Street and Encinitas Avenue, when a motorcyclist, traveling westbound on Cobalt Street, struck him, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.  After hitting the boy, the motorcyclist picked up his motorcycle, which was laying on the road, and put his helmet on to flee the scene, leaving the injured boy without rendering aid, police said.  

ORANGE COUNTY (KABC) -- Two major brush fires burning right now in Orange County fueled by the dangerous Santa Ana Winds. Two firefighters are critically injured, and more than 60,000 people are evacuated. The smoky fire exploded in size to 7,200 acres after breaking out at 6:47 a.m. Monday in the area of Santiago Canyon Road and Silverado Canyon Road. Strong gusts pushed flames along brushy ridges in Silverado Canyon and near houses in the sprawling city of Irvine, home to about 280,000 residents. There was no containment. Two firefighters, one 26 and the other 31 years old, were critically injured while battling the blaze, according to the county's Fire Authority. They each suffered second- and third-degree burns over large portions of their bodies and were intubated at a hospital, officials said.

COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- With the 2020 election season underway, the "Compton Cowboys" are using horseback riding and equestrian culture as part of a campaign to encourage young people to vote in the inner city. These urban cowboys rode their way to a ballot drop box at the Compton library. They're taking part in the national "," a campaign aimed at targeting voter suppression around the country. The group started out with 10 childhood friends with a plan to create a safer community and to combat negative stereotypes about African Americans. "We just wanted to get people out in our community, inspiring people to be active and civically engaged," says Randy Savvy, a member of the Compton Cowboys. "We wanted to show the kids, the youth, and our community at large, that if we want to affect change, we got to be hands on with that."

George Gascon is running for the district attorney's office against current DA Jackie Lacey

The Silverado Fire has burned more than 7,200 acres now. Mandatory evacuations for over 90K residents in the Orchard Hills neighborhood along Irvine Boulevard, between Bake Parkway and Jamboree Road. We've also learned that all Irvine Unified School District schools will be closed Tuesday due to the fire and, two firefighters were injured battling this blaze.

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's been in the works for 12 years -- the construction site for the Hollywood Target. It sat halfway built and vacant along Sunset Boulevard and Western Avenue for years after the project stalled. But the store is now open, and shoppers say it's a long time coming. The Hollywood location is just one of the six local stores that Target opened over the weekend. The other stores are smaller shops, including three in Santa Monica, and will collectively employ more than 600 workers. Back in 2018, a California appeals court reversed a lower court's ruling, which halted construction. "Then it just stood there for five years. All of a sudden I see construction start again so I said, 'Yay Target is finally coming," said Rachel Martin-Holland. Opposition listed height of building and the dense development as reasons to keep Target out of the neighborhood.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- Quarterback Jared Goff threw two touchdowns while the Rams defense intercepted Nick Foles twice in Los Angeles' 24-10 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. L.A. moves to 5-2 in the season while Chicago drops to 5-2. Goff had his first touchdown pass in the first quarter to put the Rams up. Each time scored a field goal in the second quarter as the game went into halftime with the Rams leading 10-3. The Rams defense clamped down in the third quarter, as the Bears were unable to score. Meanwhile, the Rams increased their lead to 24-3 by scoring two more touchdowns. Chicago managed to score another 7 points in the fourth quarter, but were unable to string together more points. L.A. looks to get another win on Sunday when the team travels to play the Miami Dolphins.

Due to the high Santa Ana winds, all runways and taxiways were closed at the Ontario Airport on Monday.The gushing winds started at least one fire in Orange County who forced more than 70,000 people to evacuate and fueled the spread of a brush fire in Yorba Linda. As of now there are no changes in flights, no delays or cancellations, according to the airport's spokesperson, Steve Lambert. Flights are currently being delayed or diverted to other airports.

IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- Two firefighters were critically injured while battling a quickly spreading vegetation fire that broke out near Irvine Monday morning, which prompted as the region was seeing strong winds. The blaze, dubbed the Silverado Fire, was reported just after 6:45 a.m. at 10 acres in size in the area of Santiago Canyon and Silverado Canyon roads, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. There had been conflicting reports regarding the size of the blaze, but the department confirmed that it had scorched 4,000 acres with 0% containment as of 1 p.m. Five-hundred fire personnel rapidly launched an aggressive fight against the flames as winds caused them to move with a "moderate rate of spread," eventually jumping the 241 toll road and forcing people from their homes, officials said.

Ferocious Santa Ana winds caused numerous big rigs to overturn on Freeways across Southern California, snarling traffic on Monday morning.

YORBA LINDA, Calif. (KABC) -- A brush fire that rapidly spread to at least 200 acres is threatening homes, triggering mandatory evacuations in Yorba Linda. The Blue Ridge Fire was initially burning in the area of Green River Road near the Green River Golf course and the 91 Freeway, near Chino Hills State Park. It was initially named the Green Fire and then changed to the Blue Ridge Fire, for Blue Ridge Drive in Yorba Linda. Fire officials say the fire may soon pose an immediate threat to residences in Yorba Linda. Evacuation orders were issued for Yorba Linda neighborhoods north of the 91 Freeway, east of Gypsum Canyon including Bryant Ranch Elementary school, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. "Anyone in the affected area should evacuate immediately," the OCSD tweeted.

YORBA LINDA, Calif. - A wind-driven brush fire on the west end of Corona quickly consumed  200 acres and spread into Orange County, threatening homes in Yorba Linda on Monday afternoon.The non-injury  'Blue Ridge Fire' was reported at 12:55 p.m. adjacent to the Green River Golf Club, just off of Green River Road and the Riverside (91) Freeway, according to the Corona Fire Department.  The Brea Fire Department tweeted on Monday, "Chino Hills has closed Carbon Canyon Road at the County line due to a vegetation fire burning north of Green River Golf Course, northwest of the SR91 and SR71 interchange. Please use alternate routes."

A big turnout this weekend as many people took advantage of the early voting option in LA County.

Santa Anita Park wrapped up its 16-day autumn meet without any horse racing or training fatalities, track officials announced Monday.Just over 1,100 horses raced at the track during the meet that ran from Sept. 25 to Sunday, and more than 51,200 training sessions were recorded, including 3,771 timed workouts over the main track and 487 over the training track since horses returned Sept. 5 from the summer meet at Del Mar, according to Santa Anita officials.