How fire victims can pick up their mail

Wildfire evacuations and road closures have disrupted mail delivery and shut down post offices throughout Southern California. The U.S. Postal Service is providing masks for carriers, but in areas where air quality is deemed a health threat, mail service may be delayed.

Where you can pick up mail:

If you have had to evacuate your home or if your local post office has been closed, you can pick up your mail at designated post offices outside of the evacuation areas. You will need photo identification, such as a California driver’s license or a state-issued identification card.

If you live in Orange County:

The Silverado Post Office has been evacuated and remains closed, affecting 550 post office box customers and 550 rural customers. Mail can be picked up at the Orange Post Office, 1075 N. Tustin St., Orange, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

The Trabuco Canyon Post Office has been evacuated and remains closed, affecting 700 post office box customers and 10 carrier routes in ZIP Code 92679. Mail can be picked up at the Rancho Santa Margarita Carrier Annex, 29862 Avenida De Las Banderas, Rancho Santa Margarita, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Two San Clemente Post Office carrier routes that deliver mail to 1,270 addresses in Camp Pendleton have been halted. Mail can be picked up at the San Clemente Post Office, 520 E. Avenida Pico, San Clemente, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

If you live in San Bernardino County:

Mail for Blue Jay 92317, Cedar Glen 92321, Crestline 92325, Lake Arrowhead 92352, Rimforest 92378, Running Springs 92382, Skyforest 92385, Twin Peaks 92391 and Green Valley Lake 92341 can be picked up at Norton Air Force Base, 195 Del Rosa Ave., the same building used during the 2003 wildfires. Mail will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Friday and -- if regular service has not resumed by then -- Saturday.

If you live in San Diego County:

The following post offices will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Friday and -- if necessary -- Saturday.

Mail for Jamul 91935, Potrero 91963 and Tecate 91980 can be picked up at El Cajon Main Post Office, 401 W. Lexington Ave., El Cajon.

Mail for Ramona can be picked up at the Carmel Mountain Post Office, 11251 Rancho Carmel Drive, San Diego, Room 117, located at the south end of the Margaret Sellers Processing and Distribution Center.

Mail for Bonsall 92003 and Fallbrook 92028 can be picked up at the Murrieta Carrier Annex, 39571 Los Alamos Road, just off Interstate 215 in Murrieta. The annex is at the west end of a shopping center.

If you live in Malibu:

Mail for the section of the Pacific Coast Highway between Las Flores Canyon and Webb Way, which remains closed, can be picked up at the La Costa station, 21329 Pacific Coast Highway, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

If you cannot get to a post office:

The Postal Service will continue to hold your mail; it will not return any mail as undeliverable. Once the evacuation orders are lifted, home delivery will resume and any mail that has been held will be delivered.

If you face fines for late payment of bills:

If you are fined because of late payments on bills that were delayed or destroyed, you can contact a Postal Service consumer affairs office for your district: Orange County, (714) 662-6215; San Diego and San Bernardino counties, (858) 674-2670; Malibu, (323) 586-1250.

The office will provide you with a letter explaining that the fires delayed delivery of your bills and asking creditors to forgive penalties. In past fires, creditors have been understanding, said Postal Service spokesman Mike Cannone. You can also write your own letter.

If your post office burned down:

No post offices are known to have burned down, although the Postal Service was awaiting news Wednesday on the fate of Green Valley Lake Post Office in the San Bernardino Mountains, Cannone said. No employees have been injured, he said.

If your mail was destroyed in a fire, contact your district consumer affairs office for a letter to explain the situation.