The mechanism of near infrared (IR) focused femtosecond (fs) laser induced defects in silica glasses produced by different methods is systematically investigated through measurements of absorption, fluorescence, and electronic spin resonance (ESR) spectra. The influence of impurities and hydroxyl groups on defects is discussed. The results show that ES silica glasses containing high OH and few defects are much stable under fs laser irradiation. It is also verified that Si Eδ' center formation has no direct relation with chloride ions.